Minnesotaâs babies and children are increasingly diverse, which means a growth in the population of Dual Language Learners at early childhood, preschool, and elementary education levels. A new study from the Migration Policy Institute looks at the population of DLL children in Minnesota and the implications for Early Childhood Education.
âMinnesotaâs DLL population grew by 77 percent between 2000 and 2011-15, when there were 136,000 DLLs across the state. These DLLs exhibit a much higher degree of racial and ethnic diversity than the non-DLLs in Minnesota and are thus driving much of the diversity of the stateâs young child population. Minnesotaâs DLL population is also significantly more racially and ethnically heterogeneous than DLLs at the national level, a population of about 11.5 million children. Hispanic DLLs are the largest DLL group in Minnesota at 32 percent, followed by AAPI DLLs at 28 percent, Black DLLs at 21 percent, White DLLs at 18 percent, and Native American DLLs at 1 percentâ¦.
The study looks at âdiversity within diversity,â such as is evidence by this example:
âMinnesotaâs 39,000 AAPI DLL families are the fastest-growing racial group in the state, and represent a broad spectrum of backgrounds and experiences. This group includes relatively well-off immigrants from India and China, as well as diverse groups of refugees from Southeast Asia who are more likely to live in low-income households.â
The study looks at âsuper-diversity,â which includes ethnicity, country of origin, languages spoken, immigration status, education, age, and cultural norms, among other factors.
A Worthington banker is enthusiastic about his communityâs immigrant population and their contributions to southwestern Minnesota. Greg Raymo, president of First State Bank Southwest in Worthington, sees immigrants as great entrepreneurs and committed homeowners.Their contributions have kept Worthington vital and growing:
âNotably, the town reversed a decades-long decline beginning in the 1990s and has been growing ever since while rural towns across the country have faced aging citizenries and declines in the sort of economic opportunities that encourage young people to stayâ¦.â
MinnPost spotlighted Andrea Duarte, a Worthington native and the daughter of immigrants, who is returning home after college with big dreams. She has already started a project to tell the stories of immigrants in Worthington, and now plans to work in local government for at least a few years before heading to grad school
The Minneapolis city council took a big step forward this week, voting unanimously to move ahead with planning for a municipal ID program, which would be a major benefit for undocumented city residents. People need IDs for all kinds of tasks of daily life: picking up children at school, renting an apartment, opening a bank account, picking up prescriptions at a pharmacy. Municipal IDs would make these tasks easier, as well possibly serving as a library or transit card. To get a municipal ID, a person would need to prove identity with a document such as a passport or consular ID card, and also to prove Minneapolis residence.


Bowen, D. H., Greene, J. P., & Kisida, B. (2014). Learning to think critically: A visual art experiment. Educational Researcher, 43(1), 37-44.
In this study, researchers endeavored to find out whether exposure to the arts affects studentsâ ability to engage in critical thinking. Groups of students were randomly selected to go on a field trip led by trained arts education professionals to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AK; then, these students and students in a control group who did not visit the museum were given a task that asked them to interpret an unfamiliar work of art. Results showed that exposure to an arts-based educational experience had a positive effect on studentsâ critical thinking skills.
Researchers found that students who participated in an inquiry-based museum field trip used significantly more critical thinking strategies when analyzing an unfamiliar work of art than students who had not visited the art museum. These benefits were concentrated among younger students and those from more disadvantaged backgrounds: those attending schools where the majority of students are eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch, non-white students, those from more rural towns, and those visiting the museum for the first time.
Significance of the Findings:
These findings clearly demonstrate the benefits of arts-based experiences for students and thus show the importance of providing children with opportunities for art education, whether in-school or through out-of-school experiences such as field trips to art museums. That the museum visit was most beneficial for students from disadvantaged backgrounds is significant, since it is these students who are most likely to be affected by cuts to school art programs. Policymakers and educators should allocate resources towards providing arts-based experiences to these students who stand to gain the most.
Researchers utilized overwhelming demand for school visits to the new Crystal Bridges museum to create a randomized controlled trial, in which demographically comparable groups of students were either selected for a treatment group with museum visit, or a control group without one. 35 treatment groups and 35 control groups combined to produce a sample of 3,811 students in grades 3-12. Students in the treatment groups were exposed to pre-visit curricular materials provided to their teachers by the museum, and then were led on a half-day tour of the museum by educators trained in open-ended, student-driven discussion techniques. An average of two weeks later, students in both groups were asked to respond to an unfamiliar work of art. Their responses were coded according to a critical-thinking skills checklist and then analyzed via an equation to see if students who visited the museum showed stronger critical thinking skills than those who did not, depending on gender and grade level. Results were broken down further to measure the effects of a museum visit on various pairs of subgroups: students attending schools where a majority or minority of students are eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch, students from smaller or larger towns, White or non-White students, elementary or secondary school students, and students whose school visit to the museum was their first as opposed to students in the treatment group who had previously been to Crystal Springs on their own.
Limitations of the Research:
This study is somewhat limited by its narrow scope. Studentsâ critical thinking abilities were evaluated only in the context of analyzing a piece of visual art, and any possible transference of these skills to other academic subjects was not examined. The experimental treatment included classroom-based pre- and post-visit components in addition to the museum visit itself, and it is not known which aspect(s) of the intervention produced results.
Questions to Guide New Research:
Future research might look at whether the benefits gleaned from a museum visit extend to other academic contexts besides visual art, such as language arts or mathematics classes. Future research might also examine what specific aspect(s) of the field trip, including pre- and post-visit experiences, produce results. Might more intensive or prolonged arts-based experiences produce more or different positive effects on students? How long might these effects endure?


Art is taught by
- Miss K Dickens - Head of Art
- Miss K Brinsley - Teacher of Art
- Mrs R Peek - Teaching Assistant
The beginning of Key Stage 3 is the time to set the scene for further development. Projects are designed to encourage pupils to develop as individuals whilst experiencing projects that involve exploring the formal elements of Art.
Year 7 is vital for developing the skills and attitudes towards Art and Design that results in the creation of informed skilled work later school life.
Year 8 is time to move on to more complex understandings and experience of Art and Design. Projects focus more on the work of other artists and craftpersons whilst maintaining an emphasis on the individual pupil's ideas and aspirations. Projects include portraiture studies and exploration of media and techniques.
Year 9 is the final year of Art education for the majority of our pupils and the time to enrich and extend experience and understanding. Pupils undertake a wide variety of techniques and subject matters with more emphasis on independent responses to set tasks in order to prepare potential GCSE students for study. Projects run as small GCSE projects, enabling students to gain an understanding of how to manage time and produce a body of work using artist studies to influence final outcomes.
GCSE Art and Design Year 10.
The course is split into 2 projects these straddle the two years of GCSE study. The first project begins in September and is worth 60% of the students overall GCSE grade. Students are introduced to the coursework by creating individual outcomes based around the work of chosen artists. They then take the project in their own direction under the supporting eye of the Art staff. Students will hand this project in at the end of the academic year, the Art staff will then comprehensively mark this project ready for the students return in September of their second GCSE year. Students will then use the time between September and December to make amendments to their work. This project will then be internally marked by the Art staff and in May externally moderated by OCR.
Students will receive their exam paper in January; this will contain âExternally Setâ themes. Students must individually choose and work through a theme using artist influences to guide their project and will through exploration of mediums arrive at a final outcome which will be produced during a two day (10 hour) examination. This project is worth 40% of their overall grade and will be internally marked by the Art staff and externally moderated by OCR.


MIAMI â In 1954, a motel built in the Brownsville area of Miami helped to ensure that black celebrities performing or visiting the Magic City had a dignified place to lay their heads.
While they could perform for white audiences in white hotels, they were forbidden to stay in them as guests.
Black families vacationing in South Florida also stayed at The Hampton House motel, at 4200 NW 27 Avenue.
Falling into disrepair, the Hampton House shut its doors in 1976. The place where Martin Luther King gave an early version of his âI Have a Dreamâ speech became a dilapidated haven for drug addicts and the homeless.
Fast forward to 2001, more than 40 years after its birth, and the Hampton House was facing a certain death.
Simultaneous efforts to have it designated as a historic site paralleled the county's efforts to demolish it because it had been deemed an unsafe structure.
Enid Pinkney, a Miami native and president of the Historic Hampton House Community Trust (HHHCT), told the South Florida Times in a telephone interview that the presence of Luis Penelas on the Trust's board helped to save it from demolition. Penelas' brother, Alex, was the mayor of Miami-Dade County at the time.
âI had worked hard to save the [Miami] Circle,â Pinkney said of widespread efforts to preserve the controversial archeological site near downtown Miami. Her efforts apparently did not go unnoticed. (The Miami Circle was added to the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark early this year.)
According to Pinkney, Penelas said, âIf we could save the Circle, we can save the Hampton House.â Along with his brother, he was instrumental in the Trust's gaining a stay of demolition.
A recent event to unveil plans for refurbishing the historic segregation-era hotel honored County Commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson.
During the event, the commissioner and the Trust revealed Phase One of the building's renovation. It will include a cultural center on African-American history in Miami with exhibit space and archives; a center for music education with classrooms and rehearsal spaces; and a multi-purpose room and banquet hall for social functions, lectures and
Pinkney said Kathy Hersch first approached the African American Committee of the Dade Heritage Trust (on which Pinkney serves) about having the Hampton House designated a historic site. Hersch is a producer and media consultant who serves on the board of the Dade Heritage Trust.
Once the Hampton House had been designated a historic site, the race was on to secure funds to restore it.
Prominent historical preservation architect Richard Heisenbottle assisted Pinkney in applying for the $4.7 million general obligation bond that will help to fund the restoration.
Pinkney said Heisenbottle's participation was critical because of his outstanding architectural reputation. Heisenbottle and his Miami firm, J Heisenbottle Architects, have been instrumental in the refurbishment of Miami Edison middle school's auditorium, the Lou Rawls Performance Art Center at Florida Memorial University, the Freedom Tower and several other prominent projects in South Florida.
The Hampton House Trust has been awarded a few grants, but still needs additional funding to bolster the restoration monies and for operating expenses. Pinkney and a few members from the DHT African-American committee, work part-time toward the Hampton House's rebirth. Ideally, she'd like to hire an office manager and a few other staff people to facilitate the restoration process.
The community's support is imperative, Pinkney said. One way that people can support the project is through the purchase of a $20 documentary created a few years ago that chronicles the historic motel and captures the sentiments of locals reminiscing about its glory days.
Photo: The Hampton House motel


Excellent STEM Education for a Successful Scotland (ESESS) Project (Scottish Government)
The ESESS Project was funded by the Scottish Government (2010 â 2012). It aimed to investigate how interdisciplinary science work could be integrated into the primary school curriculum. It also sought to explore how video could enhance and support this work. The project produced curriculum materials, and ran a film competition to share best practice (now closed). The Project created a web site called FAST â Film and Science Teaching â that showcases the ideas and outputs of the ESESS Project.
Other outputs include:
An ESESS Final Report (that will be available here)
A powerpoint summary of the ESESS Project: ESESS ASE Presentation (1)
A paper that will present and assess the ESESS Project Findings (in progress â contact the team for further details).
The ESESS FAST web site is available here:


How People Learn to Be Jazz Musicians. Case Studies from Bristol
Drawing on first-person accounts, the study traces the historical development of jazz music and musicians in Bristol. In the post-war years, players began to develop significant stylistic aspects in the jazz lexicon. Drawing on media sources and interaction in performance, players garnered a host of performing skills whilst suffering dwindling audiences and declining venues. Reforms in English music education in the 1980s offered formal opportunities to study jazz in the cityâs schools, drawing minimal attention from institutions. Practical learning and playing opportunities offered by the Local Authority music service sustained a modest membership over the years. Post millennium, local schools, with one or two exceptions, showed little interest in jazz education. Nevertheless, maintaining its traditional stance, Bristolâs jazz community continues to exhort top quality jazz performances including compositions that match national and international standards.
Ackroyd, S. & Hughes, J. (1992). Data Collection in Question. London: Longman. Acland, M. et al. (1989). The 60s in Bristol. Bristol: Redclif fe Press. Adkins, H.E. (1931 & 1973). Treatise on the Military Band. London: Boosey & Hawkes. Aebersold, J. (1980). Combo Rehearsal Guidelines. New Albany, Indiana: Jamie Aeber- sold, Jazz Inc. Aebersold, J. (1981). Nothinâ But Blues; A New Approach to Jazz Improvisation. New Albany, Indiana: Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Inc. Ake, D. (2002). Jazz Cultures. Los Angeles: University of California Press. Ake, D. (2002a). Learning Jazz, teaching jazz; cited in Cooke. M., & Horn, N. (2002) The Cambridge Companion to Jazz. Cambridge University Press. pp. 255â69. Alasuutari, P. (1994). Researching Culture. London: Sage Publications. Aldridge, K. (1966). A Drummerâs Scrapbook in Bristol, 1938â1966. (Unpublished Scrapbook). Arber, S. (1993). Designing Samples. Cited in Gilbert, N., ed., (1993) Researching Social Life. London: Sage Publications pp. 58â82. Arber, S. (1993) The Research Process. Cited in Gilbert, N., ed. (1993) Researching Social Life. London: Sage Publications. pp. 32â51. Armstrong, L. (1936 & 1964). Swing That Music. New York: Dacapo Press. Armstrong, L. (1999). Louis Armstrong in his own Words. New York: OUP. Arnaud, G. & Chesnel, J. (1991) Masters of Jazz. Edinburgh: Chambers. Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. (1998). Jazz Piano & Jazz Ensemble Syllabuses from 1999. London: ABRSM Publishing Ltd. Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (1998). Jazz Ensembles; Exemplar Material. London: ABRSM Publishing Ltd. Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (1999). Examination Regulations and Information. London:...
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Mississippi Literacy-Based Promotion Initiative
The Office of Elementary Education and Reading is responsible for supporting and training K-3rd grade teachers, curriculum specialists and other educators by providing research-based instructional strategies on literacy and guidance on the implementation of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act. Passed during the 2013 legislative session, the Literacy-Based Promotion Act (LBPA) places an emphasis on grade-level reading skills, particularly as studentsâ progress through grades K-3. Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, a student scoring at the lowest achievement level in reading on the established state-wide assessment for 3rd grade will not be promoted to 4th grade unless the student qualifies for a good cause exemption.
The LBPA was amended in 2016 and includes changes such as an Individual Reading Plan (IRP) and increased expectations for 3rd grade students beginning in 2018-2019.
Questions may be directed to Dr. Kymyona Burk, State Literacy Director (K-12), at firstname.lastname@example.org or 601-359-2586. Questions may also be directed to the K-3 Assistant State Literacy Coordinators: LeighAnne Cheeseman, Jill Hoda, Casey Sullivan, or Kristen Wells.
Visit www.strongreadersms.com for the latest resources, activities and news about Mississippi's literacy campaign.
Tools and Supports
State Literacy Plan
Educators and Parents
- Professional Development and Resources for Teachers
- Resources for Administrators
- Literacy Research
- Resources for Parents
- IRP Guidance Webinar
- Kindergarten Integrated Centers for Literacy
- Universal Screener Companion Guide - Diagnostic Assessments
- LBPA FAQs (August 2018)
- Individual Reading Plan (IRP) FAQs
2018-2019 MDE Regional Literacy Trainings - Resources
- ABCs of Coaching Training Binder v3
- Tools for Literacy Training Binder (K-2)
- A Blueprint for Literacy Training Binder (3-5)
- Rethink Literacy: Elevating Literacy Practices Training Binder (6-12)


Year of Publication
College of Education and Human Services
Master of Education in Elementary Education (MEd)
Dr. David A. Jacobsen
Dr. James I. Mittelstadt
Dr. Janice O. Wood
Twenty years ago, kindergarten was a year of informal education designed to help a child develop some readiness skills, adjust to school, adjust socially and learn through play. Readiness for elementary education was defined in terms of attitude and motivation rather than in specific academic achievements.
The hazards of the academic model for young children is supported by recent research. Elkind (1986), for example, confirms that young children do not learn in the same ways as older children and adults. Because the world of things, people, and language is so new to infants and young children, they learn best through direct encounters with their world rather than through formal education.
During the '80s there has been an increase in the number of high-risk children entering kindergarten who may not be ready for that experience. Perhaps in response to this trend, kindergarten, rather than serving as a readiness program for future schooling, has become an experience for which children need to be prepared entering kindergarten. The National Association of Early Childhood (1987) notes that expectations have become increasingly high and unrealistic, as the curriculum from upper grades has been pushed down to lower levels, thus doom large numbers of young children to the increased possibility of failure.
As a result of this change, there has been quite a controversy over the policy of kindergarten retention. Although grade retention is widely practiced at all levels, research suggests that it does not help children to "catch up." While retained children may appear to do better in the short term, they are at much greater risk for failure than are their non-retained peers (Shepard and Smith, 1990).
The provision of an extra year of schooling prior to first grade is intended to protect unprepared children from entering too soon into a demanding academic environment where, 'it is thought, they will almost surely experience failure. Yet Shepard and Smith (1988) note that, "depending on the philosophical basis of kindergarten retention, which differs profoundly from one district to the next, the extra year is meant either to be a time for immature children to grow and develop learning readiness or a time to work on deficient prereading skills" (p. 34).
So the criteria by which retention decisions are made are critical. The question of which criteria determine a child's kindergarten retention becomes paramount. The study examines this question by addressing the following issues: 1. Current practices regarding kindergarten retention;2. The percentage of kindergartners retained each year (locally and statewide); 3. The effects of kindergarten retention; 4. The ways in which teacher pressure, parents, standardized tests, and basal reading programs contribute to kindergarten retention; and 5. Alternatives to kindergarten retention.
There will always be a group of children who lag behind their kindergarten classmates. Before we create a new program, however, we need to examine the effects of kindergarten retention. It is the intent of this study to provide county school supervisors and others with information which would enable them to take action to reverse the negative effects of past practices. This information can assist those responsible for decision-making as they struggle to make the correct decisions regarding the placement of young children.
Gallmon, Wanda Elaine, "Kindergarten Retention" (1991). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 184.


College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences
Agricultural Education and Communication Department
BS in Agricultural Science
There are few Common Core approved lesson plans for teachers to incorporate into traditional science programs in California. The Farm Bureauâs Ag in the Classroom (AITC) program provides K-12 educators lesson plans with an agricultural focus. Only 13 out of 45 of the lesson plans that the California AITC website offers are Common Core approved (Learn About Ag, 2017).
Agricultural literacy is valuable to consumers, can lead to careers in agriculture, and can create a greater understanding of the world and of science for students. The agricultural lessons give students a real life relationship with what they are learning and encourage a higher rate of agricultural literacy in society.The focus of this project is to create Common Core compliant lesson plans covering different components of agriculture with the intent of encouraging agricultural education in elementary school classrooms with the goal of increasing agricultural literacy in youth.
Agricultural Education Commons, Agricultural Science Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Horticulture Commons, Outdoor Education Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Vocational Education Commons


The teaching profession provides many opportunities to explore oneâs interests by choosing a good concentration area in elementary education studies. Subject matter specialization enhances the credentials of teachers. The current environment, as far as education is concerned, is one that emphasizes measurable achievement along with rigorous enforcement of state and national standards. Teachersâ colleges have responded to this challenge by offering curricula that provide a solid academic and career track for those who have chosen teaching as a lifetime profession.
Elementary Education Defined
Depending on state standards, elementary education may include kindergarten to sixth grade or first to fifth grade. Some school districts may designate kindergarten as a part of preschool rather than consider this the formal start of elementary education. This is an important consideration because teacher certifications are typically linked to grade levels. These certifications may be used in personnel evaluations for purposes of deciding on retention, granting pay raises and awarding promotions.
Possible Concentrations in Elementary Education
Teaching in elementary school is different from a teaching position in middle and high school. The elementary school has to be prepared to teach all subjects with or without an assistant. In upper school, teachers can focus on subject specializations, but elementary school teachers have to demonstrate competency in math, reading and language, writing and the sciences.
The most obvious specialization will be a curriculum that prepares one to be a classroom teacher. Aside from subject matter competencies, this field will also focus on classroom management, child development concepts and intervention strategies for at-risk students. These teachers are generalists who prepare lesson plans consistent with the schoolâs academic thrusts and thematic approach. They will plan their assessment strategies that will be heavy on onsite observations and verbal assessments rather than the standard written tests.
Special education is a field that focuses on students who are classified as âdifferently abledâ based on established standards of age-appropriate milestones, measurable skills and medical diagnosis of preexisting conditions. These students may have learning disabilities, physical conditions and mental challenges that may make it difficult to thrive in the regular classroom environment. Some schools may have designated classrooms for these students while others advocate for inclusion in regular classrooms.
Learning to read is a major milestone for children. Many young students enter elementary school with some ability to read, but a large number may struggle with this skill. With a specialization in reading instruction, the teacher will be familiar with strategies to help children read at different ages, identify struggling students, guide young readers to improve their reading, decoding and comprehension skills. Teachers should be able to assess student progress and implement interventions to help young learners with reading difficulties.
Some teachers can channel their leadership qualities to administrative or managerial positions in elementary schools. Preparing for positions such as principal, assistant principal, reading coordinator or community liaison usually starts in the classroom. One must have an understanding of how the system works, but specialization in this field may include financial management, budgeting, contract negotiations and human resources management.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the outlook for elementary school teachers is positive with expected growth rate at 7 percent for the 10-year period from 2016 to 2026. The demand will be greater in high-growth areas especially for teachers who have earned the credentials for a concentration in elementary education that is considered a priority focus for that school district. As such, it is prudent for elementary school teachers to consider all these factors when deciding on a specialization.


The Mathematics Kâ9 curriculum addresses the continued need for balance between conceptual and procedural understanding of foundational skills, including fluency with basic facts. Fewer learning standards allows for more time to work with concepts, develop skills, and apply them to problems in everyday life. First Peoples perspectives are embedded in the curriculum. A goal of the Mathematics curriculum is for students to become financially literate and able to make sound financial decisions.
Island Numeracy Assessment
The new math Island Numeracy Assessment that has been developed by the Island Numeracy Network is different from the previously used DMA. It is no longer a diagnostic assessment, which means it is not necessary to do the whole assessment at the beginning of the year. This also means that there will be no numerical score from the assessment. The INA (Island Numeracy Assessment) is intended to be formative and when it is marked, teachers are looking for trends and patterns in understanding of larger mathematical concepts in their students. The INA is composed of components of numeracy that can be assessed separately. It is fully aligned with the new curriculum as well as formatted to align with the FSA and the Graduation Numeracy assessment. On the website you will find the protocol that has more information and suggestions for how to use the assessment.
You are encouraged to use the assessment flexibly to meet the needs of your own teaching practice and your students. For more support with the Island Numeracy Assessment please contact Amanda Kiatipis, Instruction and Assessment Coordinator via email: email@example.com.
First Steps in Math Resource
- Data Management and Probability
- Understand Units and Direct Measure
- Indirect Measure Estimate
- Whole and Decimal Numbers, and Fractions
- Operations, Computations, and Patterns and Algebra
- Represent Location, Shape, and Transformation; Reason Geometrically
- Number - Diagnostic Tasks - Student Worksheets


I arrived at work today to find the Fall issue of ProLiteracyâs Notebook waiting in my inbox. As usual, Notebook has something for both ESOL and Basic Literacy tutors. The first article is all about engaging in casual conversation that every ESOL tutor will find helpful. The story about using recipes for building reading and numeracy skills can be used for both ESOL and basic literacy learnersâand some pretty tasty looking recipes included, too! Check it out!
The information in this article (link below) is probably best for ESOL tutors, but all of you who have attended our volunteer orientation and trainings will see something familiar. With our ESOL classes starting back next month, your learners will be meeting new classmates. A good ice breaker is a great way to encourage interaction and prompt using English in your class. The author highlights concepts that you have heard in your ESOL tutor training: comprehensible input, negotiate meaning, output.
Check it out!
Have a great week-end!
TESOL International blogger, Judie Haynes, recently posted a story about naming conventions among immigrants coming to our communities. (http://blog.tesol.org/7-naming-customs-from-around-the-world/). She held that learning how to properly pronounce and spell a personâs name is a sign of respect and is important in making each one feel welcome in our classrooms. She cited the Guide to Names and Naming Practices to help us English speakers understand the naming customs of other countries (https://www.fbiic.gov/public/2008/nov/Naming_practice_guide_UK_2006.pdf ). Of course, the easiest way to know how to say a new learnerâs name is simply to ask him or her! Make it part of a first lesson on âintroductions,â and let everyone try to say each otherâs names as part of a group activity. But, even so, it is very interesting to know how each culture decides how to name children, and to have a discussion on how important our names are to us.
What do you think? lder
Along with showers and flowers, Spring also brings a new issue of ProLiteracyâs Notebook. See the link below. In it you will find some interesting articles on teaching both reading and ESL, but also a LOT of new links to some very helpful sites and apps. I liked the article by Susan Finn Miller on a jigsaw game for reinforcing learning new vocabulary. This works for both Basic Literacy and ESOL classes.
Check it out!
I ran across this very helpful site while working on a tutor training lesson. It is a very handy place for the many rules and exceptions we run across when trying to help someone learn to read or speak English.
This website covers everything from the âalphabetâ to the /z/sound of sâ¦and a whole lot more. Check it out! Any feedback for your fellow tutors is appreciated.
Have a good weekend! lder
We are back in our ânewâ old home at 2301 1st Avenue North! The boxes are unpackedâmostlyâand our offices are settledâmostlyâand things are getting back to normal. Just as I was thinking of a good post to get me back on track with this blog, ProLiteracy shared some new things going on in the adult literacy world. Among those is a link to a wonderful site at the San Jose Public Library. Their Partners in Reading program has produced a series of short videosâsome no more than 2+ minutes, the longest just over 12 minutes longâthat cover a whole range of ideas for reading tutors. They are great ârebootâ videos for those of us who feel we need to brush up a bit.
Check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKEZxGu-wMvQ-pYXbB7qGTw
When you watch the one on phonemic awarenessâphoneme categorization, see what they do with two Styrofoam cups! Very clever!!
Happy New Yearâ¦and Happy Hump Day!


The National Curriculum provides a framework for the development of a child moving through the school. The children in the Nursery and Reception classes are taught using the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum that sets the standards that all Early Years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.
It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children are ready for school and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.
Every Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 child will be taught the National Curriculum. The basic requirements for KS1 and KS2 under the National Curriculum include âcoreâ subjects of English, Mathematics, Science and ICT. Religious Education is also taught as a âcoreâ subject at St. Francis.
In addition, the âfoundationâ subjects of Physical Education, Computing, History, Geography,French, Music, Art, and Design Technology are also taught.
If you would like to see what your children are learning this term please click on the curriculum letters and curriculum maps for your childâs year group.
Reading is a Priority
As children learn to read they are able to decode the text by applying a range of cues. To become fluent readers they must also understand or comprehend what they read. To help them do this they need to be taught a range of reading comprehension strategies and be encouraged to reflect on their own understanding and learning. This helps children go beyond literal interpretation and recall to explore the complex meanings of a text using inference and deduction. They can begin to learn these strategies from the earliest stages of learning to read. This PowerPoint provides important information about how we teach children to read at St Francisâ and aim to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum for children to explore different texts and develop their love of reading.
Click on the link for more information about reading at St Francis school.
Learning Maths at Home
At school your child is taught a rich and relevant mathematics curriculum ensuring they are very well-equipped for the next stage of their education. Maths learning does not end once the school day is over. In fact we all apply mathematical strategies as we go about our daily lives; calculating the cost of shopping, estimating the size of a new carpet, working out the distance between one destination to the next and planning our busy days so we can fit everything in that we need to do. Like the staff at St Francisâ, we know that you too have the highest aspirations for your child so we have added some links to our website to support your childâs Maths learning at home.
Mental Maths 5 a Day
Target Your Maths (by Stephen Pearce)
Maths Plus: Word Problems â Pupil Book (From Heinemann)
CGP Study Books


This book is a guide for parents who wish to raise children with more than one language and literacy. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, as well as the experiences of parents of multilingual children, this book walks parents through the multilingual reading and writing process from infancy to adolescence. It identifies essential literacy skills at each developmental stage and proposes effective strategies that facilitate multiliteracy, in particular, heritage-language literacy development in the home environment. This book can also be used as a reference for teachers who teach in community heritage language schools and in school heritage (or foreign) language programmes.
Xiao-lei Wang is Professor and Acting Dean of the School of Education at Pace University, USA. She is the author of Growing up with Three Languages: Birth to Eleven (Multilingual Matters, 2008) and Learning to Read and Write in the Multilingual Family (Multilingual Matters, 2011). She is a regular speaker on child development and parenting at local, national and international parents' associations and academic conferences.
Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Understanding the Multilingual Reading and Writing Process Chapter 3: The Importance of Active Planning Chapter 4: Infancy and Early Childhood (Birth-5 Years) Chapter 5: Middle Childhood (6 -11 Years) Chapter 6: Adolescence (12 -18 Years) Chapter 7: Parents' Practices, Voices, and Concluding Remarks


Maurice Hauchard (1870-1957) was a French violinist and composer. As a minor composer, often in the shadow of his contemporary, Maurice Ravel, much of Hauchard's music is not widely known. However, his Methodical Study of Positions for Violin remains popular to improve violinist's technique.
As an excellent, versatile musician Hauchard loved his art and remains one of the greatest contributors to music education. The fourth volume of Methodical Study of Positions addresses the sixth and seventh positions in detail, through exercises which enable progression using intervals, scales, arpeggios, chromaticism and varying rhythms. All violinists should seek to purchase this Hauchard study series to ensure technical progression to a high level.


Here at KinderLab Robotics we work to help children gain the technological literacies of the 21st century while also developing a sense of identity, value and purpose. We want to help inform the design of digital spaces so that children can use new technologies to become better people and to make the world a better place.
Too often, youth experiences with technology are framed in negative terms â cyberbullying, invasion of privacy, video game addiction, and so on. So although we feel that it is important to acknowledge these problems, we also want to encourage parents, educators and children to take an active part in describing the digital landscape that they would like to live in â and then help to shape it.
The period from pre-school to high school is an extremely rich time for child development, and a time that shapes future learning, attitudes and long-term creativity. We believe that physical objects and spaces â not necessarily screens â determine positive development. The manipulation of objects should play a major role in creative exploration and motor skill development. As children grow they find increasingly limited space in which to expand their developmental needs. But in their early years itâs possible to nurture a digital landscape in which children develop as grounded individuals who truly feel that they can influence and help craft their digital landscape.
Young children learn by doing. Thatâs why KIBO was developed from the ground up to be different. It appeals to both technically-minded kids and those that connect more to arts and culture or physical activity. At KinderLab we strive to open up a world of technological play and experimental programming to children who may not naturally lean towards fields of engineering or computer science. Children build their own robot with KIBO, program it to do what they want, and look the way they want it to. KIBO gives children the chance to make their ideas physical and tangible.
With KIBO, young children can become programmers or engineers. Equally they can dream of being designers, artists, dancers, choreographers and writers. Designed for open-ended play KIBO lets children make almost anything â and aspire to be almost anything â they choose.


Preface by Paul Willis
Edited By Awad Ibrahim and Shirley R. Steinberg
This reader begins a conversation about the many aspects of critical youth studies. Chapters in this volume consider essential issues such as class, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, cultural capital, and schooling in creating a dialogue about and a conversation with youth. In a society that continues to devalue, demonize, and pathologize young women and men, leading names in the academy and youth communities argue that traditional studies of youth do not consider young people themselves. Engaging with todayâs young adults in formal and informal pedagogical settings as an act of respect, social justice, and transgression creates a critical pedagogical path in which to establish a meaningful twenty-first century critical youth studies.
37 Cultural Studies of Youth Culture Aesthetics as Critical Aesthetic Education
â 433 | 434 âCHAPTER 37
Instead of choosing between instilling youth with an appreciation of artistic culture (art history) or training youth for professional life in art production (performance), youth art educators might choose conscientizaÃ§Ã£o through critical aesthetic education. Paulo Freireâs conscientizaÃ§Ã£o âcan be literally translated as the process used to raise somebodyâs awarenessâ (Cruz, 2013, p. 171) but is richer than this. It is
the process in which men [and women], not as recipients, but as knowing subjects, achieve a deepening awareness both of the sociocultural reality that shapes their lives and of their capacity to transform that reality. (Freire, 1970, p. 519)
From Plato, to Matthew Arnold, to Theador Adorno, it has been understood that youth are molded by cultural education. Plato encouraged art education that would influence the development of youth taste in ways that would support the state. Arnold worried about the loss of culture with the rise of cultural industries. Adorno, relatedly, worried about cultural industries transforming people into empty-headed consumers powerless to tell good art from bad. Thinkers in this school all champion aesthetic education by way of cultural appreciation. It is thought that youth taught to appreciate the masterworks of European culture will come into possession of culture. I am going to suggest a different approach: that youth are already fully engaged in culture, and that in a democracy, we do not need to instill culture from positions of power, but instead to provide teachers and youth opportunities and...
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This scholarship is offered to recognize the importance of management skills and is available to a high school senior or college student who plans to attend or [ Smaller portions of knowledge or skills needed to meet learning standards; teachers deconstruct standards into smaller chunks of knowledge for students.
The assessment criteria provide the specifications against which assessment judgements should be made. Designed to prepare student entrepreneurs for the real life rigors of selling their ideas, competitions provide a supportive but challenging environment in which to validate ideas and practice effective communication.
These changes are not required but are ways schools can improve student learning. Physical or mental conditions which prevent or restrict usual learning or achievement, including physical, mental, hearing, or visual impairments, communication disorders, learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, or other health impairments such as attention deficit disorders.
Final project submitted by a student prior to graduation that includes a major written component supported by documentation, references, and research as well as an oral or visual presentation, demonstration, exhibition, or presentation to a panel.
Fields of study may include education, communications, production, research or any other area involved with the beef industry. See end of course exam. American Federation of Teachers.
Expectations for students that further define the learning goals established by the Kentucky General Assembly; defines what students should know and be able to do as a result of their school experience; developed by the Council on School Performance Standards and adopted by the Kentucky Board of Education.
Kentucky Early Mathematics Testing Program. Board of Education of Topeka. The Choice Choosing whether to run with an entrepreneurial idea instead of attending college used to be a dilemma. All graduate recipients must maintain a 3.
Collaborative Center for Literacy Development. Can mean primary or kindergarten through fifth, sixth, or eighth grades, depending on the structure of the schools in the local system; in the law, it means primary through grade eight. Coherence The underlying logical relationship, which links ideas together.
Test that assesses how well students are mastering a specific set of knowledge and skills without comparison to other students; also called standards-based test.
Grants available to schools to improve the reading skills of primary program students; created by the General Assembly. Refers to programs for students who speak little or no English.
Take a look at our health website in case you want to strengthen your health with a help health products. Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. Then one-year Delivery targets are set by dividing the Goal number by five.
See Different Ways of Knowing. By the late 19th century Brunswick became specialists in designing such entertainment furnishings as bars, billiards tables, and bowling alleys for drinking establishments nationwide. See Kentucky Education Network.
Visit our health contributing site in case you want to feel better.
A process to ensure that an agreed-upon curriculum for an entire school is taught. The task of the assessor is to gather sufficient evidence, of the prescribed type and quality, as specified in this unit standard, that the learner can achieve the outcomes again and again and again. See individual education program.
Our site offers a wide variety of non prescription products.Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for. schools/districts of killarney10mile.com AMO, student participation rate and graduation rate goals, has graduation rate above 60 percent AND scores in top 5 percent; districts with focus or priority schools donât qualify.
The womenâs gymnastics team finals air on July 31 am Eastern time and you can watch live coverage of the game and the handing out of the Olympic medals on NBCâs official website for the Olympic Games. Yahoo Lifestyle is your source for style, beauty, and wellness, including health, inspiring stories, and the latest fashion trends.
Mississippi Scholarships. Mississippi is often referred to as the Magnolia State. Its largest city is the state capital of Jackson, with a population of just overpeople. Autoblog brings you automotive news; expert reviews of cars, trucks, crossovers and SUVs; and pictures and video.
Research and compare vehicles, find local dealers, calculate loan payments, find.Download


Music is booming in schools but poorer children may be missing out according to a new report by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
Making Music, the most comprehensive survey of the learning, progression and teaching of musical instruments ever undertaken in the UK found that 76% of UK children aged 5-14 say they âknow how to play an instrumentâ compared with 41% in 1999.
Electric guitar overtakes violin for the first time in the list of top six most popular instruments learned, with the piano the most played instrument.
Despite the high levels of participation the report found that significant gap in take up. 30 per cent of children who had never had lessons said they were too expensive, while 40 per cent of poorer children who didnât play an instrument said they had no opportunity to learn at school.
The report comes as Channel 4 programme Donât Stop the Music has launched a national amnesty of musical instruments in partnership with Oxfam. The instruments will be donated to schools to increase access to music in disadvantaged communities.
In our region a musical partnership lead by Julian Lloyd Webberâs charity is making a difference.
Hawthorn Primary in Elswick and Ashfield Nursery in Low Fell are benefiting from the âIn Harmony NewcastleGatesheadâ project, modelled around the schoolchildren participating in an orchestra.
The Northern Sinfonia and the Orchestra of Sage Gateshead are central to this along with funding from Arts Council England and Department for Education.
Every child in the school has been bought a musical instrument and the children, staff and parents all benefit from music tutors from Sage Gateshead and the Newcastle and Northumberland Music Education Hub on a daily basis.
Julian Lloyd Webber wrote in the Telegraph this week about the positive impact this is all having.
âOne pupil at In Harmony Gateshead has a significant speech disability: when he arrived at school aged five, he could make clicks and squeaks, but was unable to speak.
'Every child in the school was given a choice of instrument, and he chose bassoon. He now attends the Sage Gateshead Centre of Advanced Training every weekend, is a member of the West Newcastle Symphony Orchestra and has performed at Newcastleâs Literary and Philosophical Society.
'His Head Teacher says that âundoubtedly, âIn Harmonyâ has saved his lifeâ.
Teach Youngsters music and they will soar (The Telegraph)
Why don't children want to learn the violin (BBC online)


Fine motor skills develop alongside gross motor skills. Beyond just learning how to use and manipulate their bodies in large movements, babies are learning how to use their hands and how to coordinate smaller movements with their senses, such as sight. Like the gross motor skill development, fine motor development comes gradually as infants build one skill on top of previous skills.
Like others before it, this section will discusses development in terms of age-related milestones. Once again, it is important to remember that children are unique and grow at their own rate and speed. There is a wide range of healthy ages at which babies can acquire these abilities. Theoretically, babies could develop ahead of the average on their gross motor skills and behind average with their fine motor skills, or babies could develop one milestone later than average but develop the next milestone before the average age. The important thing to gather from this article is the general pattern children follow as their bodies and minds mature, so you are best prepared to give adequate support and nurturing.
From birth to around 2 months, babies are "pre-reaching." They will extend their arm and hand toward an object that interests them, but they will rarely be able to make hand contact with that object. It's important to remember that in those two early months, baby's vision is beginning to develop the acuity and focus needed to grab an object they see. As their eyesight matures, babies can reach with more accuracy and make contact with objects, usually around age 3 months. Between the ages of 3 and 4 months, babies begin holding objects between their palm and their enclosed fingers in a clumsy ulnar grasp. By age 4 months, they will want to practice that hold, and will reach for anything in their line of sight. In another month or so, babies will be able to transfer objects from one hand to the other, as they are now able to sit up and play. It's important to remember that at this age, 5 months, babies are able to handle and pick up larger objects, but they will still only be able to touch and scratch at smaller objects such as a piece of cereal. By around age 6 months, babies are refining their ability to manipulate objects as they learn by using their hands and mouths.
In the second half of the first year, babies continue to mature in their ability to use their hands and can manipulate even smaller objects. Around age 7 months, they can grasp pellet-sized objects crudely between their thumbs and the side of their forefingers, and between ages 7 to 9 months, most babies can pick up and drink from a cup. By around age 9 months, babies refine their ability to grasp tiny objects as they hold them between their thumb and forefinger in a pincer grasp. Another refinement around age 9 months is that babies can now set down larger objects gently where they want to place them rather than just flinging them down when they're finished with them. Furthermore, by around age 10 or 11 months, they can also place smaller pellet-sized objects, like bite-sized cereal, where they want to, such as in a bowl or cup. By age 12 months, babies can now use their hands independently of one another in play. This will enable them to manipulate tools in the next year.
In the second year of life, toddlers begin using their hands for more tasks than just playing with toys and eating. By around age 15 months, toddlers begin to use tools such as cups, spoons, and crayons. They can begin feeding themselves with utensils. They can also open cabinets and drawers, so parents need to be sure that their homes are baby proofed in ways such as putting hazardous chemicals and cleaning supplies in high cabinets and putting locks on cabinets and drawers that are not safe for young children (Babyproofing). At this age, they can also turn pages in a book and build towers of 2 to 3 large blocks. By 18 months, toddlers are refining their ability to use tools such as crayons, and they can now draw lines and rough circles rather than just scribbling on a page. By age 21 months, they also have the ability to undress themselves and help dress themselves, as they may be able to manipulate larger buttons or zippers. By age 24 months, toddlers can use their hands with more dexterity as they can unwrap birthday presents or do simple puzzles. Their fine motor skills will continue to improve in the coming years.


By Teachers, For Teachers
There are a few topics that every teacher needs to be in-the-know about. These topics range from how to combat bullying in the classroom to how to keep your students engaged. From teaching students study skills to learning the Common Core and how to accurately assess your students, we are here to help you keep on top of these important topics. Here are just five of the many must-know professional development topics to keep you in the loop.
Everybody dreads a bully, whether he is in your classroom or in the hallways. Bullying is just as hard for a teacher to deal with as it as it is a student. There are many professional procedures that teachers must know and understand when it comes to bullies. Here is a brief overview of how to deal with a bully in your school.
Oftentimes, teachers donât spend enough time on teaching their students how to effectively study at home. They spend all of their time teaching the important concepts in school, but lack the time to teach students how they can effectively take that information learned and study it. Studying is a skill that can be learned, and must be learned, in order for students to be a successful in school. Here are three essential tips that will improve the study habits of your students.
The Common Core learning standards are designed to present a clear understanding of what students are supposed to be learning and know in school. It is essentially a guideline for teachers to follow to make sure that their students are learning what they are supposed to. They are a means to provide clarity to teachers and parents of what is expected of all students in the United States. Many states follow these standards, where other states have opted not to. If you live in a state that follows these standards, then you know how important it is to know them like the back of your hand. These standards are meant to prepare students for college and their career.
According to research, in order for you to be able to meet these standards, there are five things you need to be doing in your classroom.
The single most important way that you can know if a student is truly learning is if they are engaged in the lesson. There are many ways that you can do this, but not all strategies and techniques work for every student. Teachers have found cooperative learning to be an effective way to keep students engaged because it appeals to all types of learners, and keep students engaged in the lesson. Activities like âThink-pair-shareâ and âThe Jigsawâ allow students to work independently, as well as together. These types of activities are a perfect way to reach all learners and make sure that they are all engaged at the same time.
Learning is a means of assessment and assessment drives instruction. It is the heart of teaching and learning and without it, teachers would not know if they were doing their job correctly. Whether you assess students by a test, a hand-written essay, or by using technology, it is an essential element and a topic that is on the top of the list of must-knows for teachers. Here are some tips to help make your assessment tasks easier and more effective.
What must-know topics do think are essential for teachers to know? Please share your responses in the comment section below, we would love to hear your input on this topic.
Janelle Cox is an education writer who uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle holds a Master's of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is also the Elementary Education Expert for About.com, as well as a contributing writer to TeachHUB.com and TeachHUB Magazine. You can follow her at Twitter @Empoweringk6ed, or on Facebook at Empowering K6 Educators.


Do you freak out when hanyu pinyin comes to your mind?
Even more, freak out when the thought of teaching your little one?
What exactly is hanyu pinyin and why do we learn it?
In the âEnglishâ world, we have phonics and in order to learn to read and spell, we will follow the phonics instruction where it teaches the connection between word sounds and written letters. Furthermore, phonics instruction teaches spelling patterns as well.
In the âChineseâ world, we have pinyin which means âphonetic notationâ or âphonetic symbolsâ where pin means to spell and yin means to sound it out. Simply said, hanyu means the Chinese Language and pinyin is how we pronounce the Chinese words.
Phonics are being introduced mainly during preschooler years and teaching your preschoolersâ pinyin at this age may cause confusion to some children because pinyin is not English and should not pronounce according to English conventions. Hence, parents or school teachers generally teach this at the later stage.
Why do we need to learn pinyin?
If you want to speak Chinese fluently, thatâs where we need to learn pinyin. Pinyin is based mainly on the sounds of Mandarin Chinese, not for dialects. Furthermore, if you require to input a Chinese character or word on a device, pinyin is the way easy way to go.
How do we go about learning pinyin?
Mr. Google has tons of great pinyin guides and tools. Following are the 3 main steps to learning pinyin.
The first thing we look at is the pinyin initials. The initial is the initial consonant of the syllable. Do note that the letters âyâ and âwâ are not included in the table of initials in the official pinyin system.
Some syllables in Mandarin are considered as âzeroâ or ânullâ initial.
For example, if a word begins with u, such as âuaâ, it will be replaced with âwâ and written as âwaâ but the pronunciation is the same. But in my chart, I will include âwâ and âyâ in it.
The final is where it consists of all the vowels and consonants after the initial without the tone. For example, the final âaiâ in the syllable âbaiâ.
The tone, which is the pitch pattern, is associated with each syllable in Mandarin. There are 4 tones in total and each changing tone will change the meaning of the syllable.
â 1sttone: bÄ = å«(eight)
â 2ndtone: bÃ¡ = æ(to pull out)
â 3rdtone: bÇ = æ(bundle or grasp)
â 4thtone: bÃ  = é¸(tyrant)
Alright, there are more to learn with pinyin. For now, letâs digest what was being taught here. Do stay tuned for the next part of this pinyin lesson. ð
Do you have tips and tricks to share in regards on how to get started with hanyu pinyin? If yes, do feel free to share in the comment box below.
Do you feel this article is useful? Do comment below, I would love your view on this.


You know all the things that go out in your trash or recycling bins every week â papers, empty cans, old shoes and food scraps. But what about all the trash left behind in space? Any time space shuttles travel into space they leave debris behind. It might be tools, old engine parts, fuel tanks or even an astronautâs gloves. Satellites eventually wear out and stop working. They, too, become space junk. Most of this space junk orbits around the Earth, although some of it is found deeper in space.
Fun Facts about Space Junk and Debris for Kids
- Space satellites are launched by governments, as well as individuals and companies. If you have a cell phone, for example, it operates because of satellites launched by your cell phone company.
- In 2012, Russia had 1446 satellites in orbit over the Earth; The US had 1111. As of 2010, there were 8,000 man-made objects orbiting the Earth.
- Space junk can cause problems. Working satellites can crash into the space junk, creating more space junk. Sometimes space junk falls back to the Earth. Most of the time it burns up before it reaches the ground, but not always.
- Scientists are working on ways to clean up space junk.
- Satellites are very expensive. It costs about $100 million to build them and another $50 million to launch them.
Space Junk Vocabulary
- Space junk: debris in space
- Orbit: a circular path created by gravity
- Expensive: costs a lot of money
- Launch: send space satellites into space
Learn More All about Space Junk and Debris
Watch this amazing video all about space junk:
A video documentary about space satellites and space junk.
Space Junk Q&A
Question: Has anyone been hurt by falling space debris?
Answer: Most of the debris that has fallen from space lands in oceans or places where few people live. So far, no one has been seriously injured. In 1997, a woman in Oklahoma was hit on the head by part of a booster from a space shuttle, but she wasnât hurt.
Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Space Junk info? Take the FREE & fun Space Junk quiz and download FREE Space Junk worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
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Capstone Project Title
This project sought to answer the question; how can the skills of artistic inquiry be taught in an Arts Magnet Foundation Class? This project covered the creation of a mental construct for artistic inquiry and development of the first three units of a twelve-unit curriculum. Initially the author established a six-phase model of artistic inquiry which was then implemented in the development of individual units. The six components include: question formulation, annotated research, proposal making, creating with intent, presenting in a public format, and reflecting on the work. Each unit focused on teaching and implementing one of the phases. The project was created to use a different art form in each set of lessons to engage a variety of student interests. The curriculum is designed using best practices in artist inquiry. This helps the students and gives the teachers in the program a mental construct of the artistic inquiry process as well as examples of possible work in their own classrooms.
Art Education, Charter Schools, Curriculum, Learning Styles
Bestland, Debra, "Curriculum Development Using Artistic Inquiry In An Arts Magnet Foundation Class." (2018). School of Education Student Capstone Projects. 200.
School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations


Astronomy Lab for Kids
52 Family-friendly ActivitiesBook - 2016
Explore the wonders of the universe through hands-on fun! In Astronomy Lab for Kids , science educator Michelle Nichols has compiled 52 labs and activities that use everyday materials from around the house to encourage kids, their friends, and their families to look up, down, and around at everything from the shadows on the ground to the stars in the sky.
Mini astronomers will learn about things such as the size and scale of planets using sandwich cookies and tennis balls, how to measure the speed of light with a flat candy bar and a microwave, how to make a simple telescope with magnifying glasses, and so much more!
Kids begin their journey through the stars by creating a science journal to track their experiments and record their observations. Foundational skills, like how to make observations , measure angles, and determine directions, are laid out first. The lessons expand with explorations of size and scale ; light , motion , and gravity ; and then on to investigations of our Solar System and finding constellations in the night sky.
Each lab includes:
The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics , including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus--all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.


SCHOOLS and School Days In The New Mill Valley, the second book in a series about different aspects of life in this valley, was launched at Holme Valley Civic Societyâs recent meeting by Pamela Cooksey, local historian and the bookâs author.
The aim of the book is to record the development of education up to the 1940s in the New Mill Valley, which lies between Mytholmbridge and Gatehead.
As in the rest of the country, local schools until 1870 included those with some kind of charitable status, church and chapel schools and a number of privately run schools including dame schools, which were usually run by a single woman or a widow in her own home. At best the children would be taught basic reading and writing and some simple arithmetic; at worst some dame schools provided only low level child care.
The Elementary Education Act of 1870 led to the start of a national system of elementary education. Locally, elected school boards were established to control schools, build new ones and raise a local rate to finance them. The boards appointed teachers and paid them.
In 1902 school boards were disbanded and it was then the responsibility of the education department of the West Riding County Council to provide state educational facilities for children living in the New Mill valley.
From 1862 onwards, head teachers had to keep a logbook in which they had to record only basic facts and no personal opinions about their school, although this was largely ignored in the valley! Head teachersâ concerns included staffing, pupilsâ attendance, classrooms, the curriculum and punishments.
From 1789 the shortage of teachers to assist the head teacher had led to the acceptance of the monitorial system whereby selected 10 and 11-year-old children received one shilling a week for teaching younger children what they themselves had learnt from the head master, but dissatisfaction with this system led to the introduction in 1846 of pupil teachers.
They were intelligent pupils over the age of 13 who undertook a five-year apprenticeship. They were instructed for seven-and-a-half hours every week by the head teacher and had to teach five-and-a-half hours every day. They were paid Â£10 to Â£20 per annum and had to sit an exam at the end of the five years. Successful candidates were then able to study at a teachersâ training college to become certified teachers.
Photographs of pupils in our valley schools taken in the 1880s to the early 1950s show that children were mostly well-dressed. Many were accepted in school at a very early age because schools were glad of the fee, but the younger ones tended to fall asleep in class.
Logbook entries show that attendance at school was a problem as many children worked long hours in the mills and the mines. The families needed the money the children could earn and consequently regular attendance and tiredness at school were major problems. Many children also were required to help at home doing domestic chores and looking after younger siblings.
Poor health was also the norm for both children and their parents. Their living conditions and inadequate diet meant that they fell victim to the frequent epidemics of measles, whooping cough, smallpox, scarlet fever and influenza which led to further absences from school.
Photos of late Victorian classrooms in the New Mill Valley, as in other areas, showed windows set high in the walls on which were alphabet, spelling and number charts. There were rows of double desks and long benches for the children and a teacherâs high desk and chair. Tall cupboards held the slates, exercise books, ink bottles, pens and nibs and children copied from the blackboard.
Laziness and lack of effort led to punishment. It appears that the dunceâs cap, which had to be logged, was not noted in the valley schools and the cane and short stick were only used when absolutely necessary.
Loss of free time and the giving of tasks were the common punishments. However, rewards, such as prizes, privileges and outings for good work, behaviour and attendance were much favoured by local head teachers as an incentive to others to try harder.
The next meeting of Holme Valley Civic Society will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday April 18 in Holmfirth Civic Hall when local historian David Cockman will give an illustrated talk on his search for Martha Stocks, a former Holmfirth resident, whose gravestone can be found in the little park behind Wagstaffâs shoe shop in Holmfirth. All welcome.


The importance of music education goes far beyond the notes and rhythms written on a piece of music. It goes far beyond the educational benefits a student experiences in the classroom. The real benefit of music education is how a student is able to shape and define his or her place in society. Music can help students express their emotions when they are at a loss for words. Music can help students learn to work collaboratively when they struggle to fit in. Music can give students the skills to think "outside the box", tapping into creativity to solve problems. The study of music allows students to connect not only to themselves, but to their peers while teaching them the skills necessary to be successful throughout their lives.
Lions All State Band Information
17th - Pie Making
1st - Winterfest (HS Jazz)
2nd - Grand Ledge Armory (HS Jazz)
17th - Winter Concert (HS)
18th - Winter Concert (MS)


If you your children are interested in technology but you are not sure where to send them, these are GREAT games and resources that I have personally found to be both educational and fun. Let them explore worry free!!!!
The Art Curator for Kids
Art and Math projects for kids of all ages! Many thanks to amazing Kindergarten teacher Jenny Blackman for sending me to this great site!
Tour the Art Institute of Chicago
Inspired by a comment from Alex Moore and his amazing art student (Thanks Amanda!!)
You have to check this out!
Big Huge Lab
LOTS of FUN STUFF to play with like motivational poser maker, magazine cover maker, pop art poster, and much much more! Bring a photo and play. Everything is free.
Draw A Stick Man
Draw a stick figure and watch it come alive before your eyes!
You HAVE TO TRY THIS!
Painting with textures and designsâ¦.
TOTALLY COOL ART GAMES!
Fun interactive art games from the Getty. Try Detail Detective, matching games, Switch, and puzzles. Try them all and see how you do!
fun fun fun!
It is Mr. Potato Head meets Picasso- Have Fun!
This Is Sand
A fun way to create digital sand sculptures!
make your own graffiti tag
Create your own splatter painting inspired by Jackson Pollock! FUN FUN FUN!
create and play with your virtual kaleidoscope.
An adventure in looking for children and adults!
fun ways to make art from your words.
National Gallery of Art â Kids Zone
Too many cool things to look at and play with. You HAVE TO check this one out!
Create your own painting with different size brushes and colors. You can choose a frame, replay the process of making the painting. Lots of control and fun. If you like Jackson Pollockâs site, you will enjoy this too!
Explore a painting as an art historian would. This interactive website takes you on an adventure in a painting. You will be asked to answer some key questions so you can return to the museum and begin your adventure again. You will love this one!
Kids Art Mastersâ Gallery
Look at and read about famous art.
Pintura : Art Detective
The case of Grandpaâs paintingâ¦ begin your investigation!
Hands-on art education for home and school.
Create a Matisse style art work.


Birds of the Amazon taught Villa-Lobos music
Primarily self-taught, Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887â1959) spent his early years absorbing the styles of Brazilian popular music as a guitarist in street bands.
He left home at age 18 due to his mother opposing his musical choice and wanted him to become a doctor. Instead, he turned to a life of a musical vagabond, playing cello and guitar to support himself while travelling throughout the states of EspÃrito Santo, Bahia, and Pernambuco, absorbing Brazilian folk music and composing his own pieces.
Villa-Lobos said that his first harmony teacher was a map of Brazil, and his life in music has been a reflection of the expansive, explosive cultural, geographical, and musical diversity of his country.
"I learned music from a bird in the jungles of Brazil, not from academies."
His works are constantly criticized, with the common point that Villa-Lobos simply wrote too much music, that he lacked a critical filter which would allow him to hone his craft, and instead gave full rein to his natural musical effulgence.
For example, renowned guitarist John Williams talked about the Guitar Concerto written by Villa-Lobos towards the end of his career:
"...just isn't a very good piece, technically or musically, with its underdeveloped ideas, its sense of being written in a hurry, and its lack of a real relationship between the soloist and the orchestra."
But such critical carping rather misses the point of a musician who, arguably more than any other composer of the 20th century, summed up an entire country in his music.
After becoming the most famous and most avant-garde composer at home, Villa-Lobos happily entered Brazil's national music education project to shape the country's musical identity in its compositions.
Listen to Villa-Lobos' Prelude No. 5 performed by Julian Bream. The piece has subtitle Homenagem Ã  vida social (Homage to Social Life):


013416606X â Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy: Birth Through Kindergarten, Enhanced Pearson eText with Loose-Leaf Version â Access Card Package (4th Edition) by Carol Vukelich
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Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy is about teaching the language arts in a reader-friendly, child-focused way. It provides pre-service and in-service teachers with sound instructional strategies to facilitate childrenâs reading, writing, speaking, and listening development from birth through kindergarten. Each chapter identifies clear learning goals for readers and offers opportunities for self-assessment. Recognizing that children are at the heart of good language and literacy teaching, the book focuses on four central themes: a perspective on teaching and learning that blends constructivism and science-based instruction, respect for diversity, instruction-based assessment, and family involvement in literacy learning.
The Fourth Edition includes coverage of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Grades K-12 and contains a number of new features that reflect recent developments in the field of language arts education and that will assist students in learning key concepts and strategies. The Enhanced Pearson eText features embedded videos and assessments.
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013416606X / 9780134166063 Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy: Birth Through Kindergarten, Enhanced Pearson eText with Loose-Leaf Version â Access Card Package, 4/e
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Category: Elementary Education Books
Binding: Loose Leaf
Author: Carol Vukelich
Pub Date: 8/10/2015
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The Sheep lesson & activity plan is an excellent music class for the spring time or at any other time of year, with plenty of opportunity for exploring rhythm, singing and developing the imagination.
The Sheep lesson plan focuses on:
- Learning solfege (Mi-Re-Do) with chime bars or resonator bells
- Playing a variety of percussion instruments, recognising the steady beat and the rhythm.
- Listening skills, remembering patterns and echoing rhythms
- Singing together with rhythmic actions â speech development, story telling and motor skills
- Social skills; working in a group, following instructions and building confidence
- Imaginative movement to music and role play.
Children up to 7 years of age will love learning to play the chime bars and enjoy the rhythm game and circle games, while toddlers from 18 months are able to take part in most of these activities with a little extra help. This lesson is suitable for children of 18 months â 7 years old and it is 15 pages long with 7 printables included.
These plans are not intended to read as a script, as everyone will have their own teaching style. More, I hope that they will provide you with in-depth guidance for a number of related activities that I have found in my years of teaching to be particularly effective and engaging combinations.
âI have purchased every lesson you have available and LOVE them all!! I lead music classes for toddlers and preschoolers and I love how each of your lessons builds on each other. They are easy to adapt for the different ages. The parents of my students love that their kids are learning early music education while having a blast and that the kids go home and sing and stomp out rhythms. I would highly recommend your plans to everyone. And I look forward to seeing the other lessons.â


This product is a literature companion unit that is filled with activities and centers that reinforce the concepts and skills taught in Unit 1 Module A of ReadyGen 2016 Edition. There are activities for all 13 lessons of unit 1. The following activities can be found in this unit:
- Vocabulary small group activities, booklets, and worksheets.
- Vocabulary word searches and cross word puzzles.
- Vocabulary flashcards.
- Small group discussion activities.
- Prewriting graphic organizers for writing lessons.
- Writing activities.
- Foundational skills.
- Short vowel activity worksheets.
- Short vowel centers.
- Long vowel activity worksheets.
- Long vowel centers.
- Language activities.
- Noun activity worksheets.
- Plural noun activity worksheets.
- Irregular noun activity worksheets.
- Common noun/proper noun activity worksheets.
- Collective noun activity worksheets.
The activities and centers in this unit are all ELA CCSS aligned. The activities can be completed in small groups, one on one, or as a whole group lesson. My students have found the activities, centers, and worksheets to be both fun and engaging.


What: Rock n Roll is a high-energy and stimulating music and movement class for toddlers and their grown-up. Each class contains a variety of music and movement based activities. Weekly sessions with age-appropriate themes and musical selections. Experience the developmental benefits of music in a setting and with music that makes it fun for the mom, dad, or caregiver as well! Click the text or image for more info.
What: Whether theyâre a budding rock-star or an aspiring classical soloist, Rock City is the place to find real music education for your preschooler. Through dynamic musical and movement-based activities, exposure to live instruments and musically inspired story-time, budding young musicians gradually develop the skills needed to read music, play simple rhythms and develop fine motor control - skills that are essential for future success in playing an instrument. Classes focus on foundational musical concepts such as fast and slow, sound and silence, high and low and even singing and playing major scales, and with our special take-home activity materials, their musical adventures will last all week long! Click the text or image for more info.
Who: Ages 5 - 7
What: Kids n Keys introduces children to the fundamentals of music and piano playing in a fun group-setting. In three 8-lesson segments students will encounter the concepts, symbols, and sounds that form the basis of music literacy. Our curriculum incorporates different types of activities and games that involve listening, movement, singing, and creative music-making. We also firmly believe that young students have the ability to make music at the keyboard even before they can read music notation. In every class, students learn to play popular melodies on the piano and prepare for a group concert. Click the text or image for more info.
Benefits of Music
- Challenges the brain in new ways
- New motor skills must be learned and coordinated
- Profound and seemingly permanent changes in the brain structure
Music & Mathematics
- Patterns of chords, notes and key changes
- Counting of beats, rests & how long to hold notes
- Geometry to remember correct finger positions for notes or chords
- Sequences called intervals are the differences between notes
- Ratios, proportions and equivalent fractions understanding are required to read music
Music & Reading
- Strong association between music instruction & reading ability
- Positive transfer occurs between language and reading
- More music skills result in greater degree of phonological awareness
- Music perception taps and enhances auditory areas
(How the Brain Learns by David Sousa, pg 225-229) Read More


PENGELLY, WILLIAM (1812-1894), English geologist and anthropologist, was born at East Looe in Cornwall on the 12th of January 1812, the son of the captain of a small coasting vessel. He began life as a sailor, after an elementary education in his native village, but in 1828 he abandoned a seafaring life. He had developed a passion for learning, and about 1836 he removed to Torquay and started a school; in 1846 he became a private tutor in mathematics and natural science. Geology had in early years attracted his attention, but it was not until he was about 30 years of age that he began seriously to cultivate the study. In 1837 he was instrumental in the reorganization of the Torquay Mechanics' Institute, in 1844 mainly owing to his energy the Torquay Natural History Society was founded, and in 1862 he assisted in founding the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art. Meanwhile he had been occupied in collecting fossils from many parts of Devon and Cornwall, and in 1860 the Baroness BurdettCoutts acquired and presented them to the Oxford Museum, where they form "The Pengelly Collection." Through the generosity of the same lady he was called upon to examine the lignites and clays of Bovey Tracey, in conjunction with Dr Oswald Heer, who undertook the determination of the plant-remains. Their report was published by the Royal Society (1862), and Pengelly was elected F.R.S. in 1863. He aided in the investigations of the Brixham bone-cavern from the date of its discovery in 1858, the full report being issued in 1873; and he was the main explorer of Kent's Hole, Torquay, and from 1864 for more than fifteen years he laboured with unflagging energy in examining and recording the exact position of the numerous organic remains that were disinterred during a systematic investigation of this cave, carried on with the aid of grants from the British Association. He first attended the British Association at the Cheltenham meeting in 1856, and was present at subsequent meetings (except that at Montreal in 1884) until 1889. His observations assisted in establishing the important fact of the contemporaneity of Palaeolithic man with various Pleistocene mammalia, such as the mammoth, cave-bear, cave-lion, etc. He was awarded the Lyell medal by the Geological Society of London in 1886. He died at Torquay on the 16th of March 1894.
See Memoir of William Pengelly, edited by his daughter Hester Pengelly, with a summary of his scientific work by the Rev. Professor T. G. Bonney (1897).
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)


Comprehending comprehension: 3 pitfalls to avoid when understanding questions
Have you ever felt frustrated when attempting Comprehension open-ended (COE) questions?
Welcome back to the blog. Iâm sure that many of you are going full steam ahead as Term 3 progresses. Yet, are you still meeting with bumps and potholes on your road to academic success? For my post today, I will be sharing about the COE component in hopes that I can help to clarify some doubts.
COE is a major component of Paper 2 in English exams. Hence, excelling at COE can turn an A to an A* for your English grade. Yet, students often struggle with it and fail to fathom what they need to do.
Doing well in COE means that you have to a) understand the passage, b) understand the question requirements and c) understand how to tackle the various question types.
We discussed some reading comprehension strategies in a previous blog post. Similarly, you can find other posts on tackling certain question types on our blog!
Hence, for todayâs post, I will focus solely on understanding question requirements. Specifically, I will point out 3 errors that I noticed students committing when I was conducting comprehension workshops for upper primary students. Learn how to better grasp question requirements by watching the video below!
Ms. Quek is an English Teacher at Lilâ but Mighty. She is dedicated to helping her students do well in the language through a focus on the learning process. As an educator, she believes in creating a nurturing and stimulating environment for students to learn.


Home literacy activities influence childrenâs emergent literacy progress and readiness for reading instruction. To help parents fulfill this opportunity, we developed a new Emergent Literacy Screener (ELS) and conducted 2 studies of its psychometric properties with independent prekindergarten samples. For Study 1 (n = 812, Mage = 54.4 months, 49.4% male, 46.1% white) exploratory factor analyses (EFA) supported a 5-factor structure. EFA and item calibration supported the removal of 10 items from the original 30 test items. The resultant 20-item ELS demonstrated good reliability (Cronbachâs alpha = .83) and significant positive correlation, r = .50, p < .001 with a standardized emergent literacy measure, Get Ready to Read â Revised. For Study 2 (n = 959, Mage = 53.5 months, 52.3% male, 60.3% white), confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported a bifactor model, which captured direct effects of 5 specific subfactors and an overarching emergent literacy factor. Using a cut score of 15, the ELS demonstrated moderate sensitivity (.71) and specificity (.61). Negative predictive value was high, whereas positive predictive value was low. Overall the ELS demonstrated acceptable psychometric characteristics for use by parents of prekindergarten children, providing a promising new tool for universal emergent literacy screening and an opportunity to identify where children are in their emergent literacy development. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.


Can Online Reading Tutoring close the Literacy Gap?
Evaluation of Hoot
At a moment in time when teachers, parents, policymakers and consumers are questioning how digital media might promote literacy instead of undermining it, this study set out to examine the efficacy of Hoot Reading, a virtual tutoring program designed to promote childrenâs literacy skills. Our goal was to better understand how a carefully targeted application, with an evidence-based instructional design could help to improve childrenâs skills and potentially close the gap, with a particular focus on low-income children.
Dr. Susan B. Neuman
Susan B. Neuman is a specialist in early literacy development; whose research and teaching interests include early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction for children who live in poverty. In her role as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Neuman established the Early Reading First program, developed the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program, and was responsible for all activities in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act. She has written more than 100 articles and authored and edited eleven books.
Kids who used Hoot Reading advanced their reading skills 152% more than kids who did not do Hoot Reading.
Susan B. Neuman, Professor of Childhood Education & Literacy Development, Steinhardt School, NYU
Questions about how Hoot works?
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Why Parents Love Hoot


Donated and student cell phones are a powerful no-cost solution to technology integration. Used in conjunction with various free web-based applications, teachers can offer students a more interactive learning experience.
Web 2.0 Tools
- Pew Research Center: Social Media and Mobile Internet Use among Teens and Young Adults (2010) found that three-quarters of teens have cell phones, many of which are used for Internet access.
- In a series of studies from Coventry University (2006-2011), researchers found that texting actually improved primary studentsâ literacy development. In one study, students who used âtextismsâ (i.e. âc u l8trâ) performed better on spelling tests, possibly because textisms require higher phonological awareness.
- Speak Up (2010) surveyed hundreds of thousands of students, parents, teachers, and administrators about educational technology, and found some major disconnects. Among other things, the survey found that most parents are supportive of students using mobile devices in school, with even more parents willing to buy the devices for their kids. However, 65 percent of administrators oppose allowing students to use their own devices in classrooms.


A recent study has concluded that the officials in charge of the nationâs disaster management and relief efforts have numeracy skills of a child aged 5 years or younger.
The result of the study means officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) would struggle to count up to 100. This, according to the study, explains why officials are struggling to say exactly how many people lost their lives in last Wednesdayâs disaster.
âItâs been almost a week after the tragic event at the Goil Fuel Station and these officials still cannot say how exactly many people perished in the explosion. Some say 100 people died, others counted 200 and others 220. Now itâs clear that these people canât count,â remarked the head of the study.
The shocking findings also found similarly low levels of numeracy skills among officials of the Accra Metropolitan Authority, the National Fire Service, the Police Service and other relief agencies.


The process of childrenâs training in the early years goes a long way towards preparing them for academic and life tasks they are essentially required to master later. At this level, the curriculum is designed to give young students a broad exposure and to develop their learning skills that prepare them well for years of schooling that comes forth
Our Kindergarten Programme focuses on creating a secure, stimulating, and nurturing learning environment, in which our students can develop through structured play activities, practical art and craft, games, interaction, and imaginative play. The KGâs assessment will be based on the day-to-day performance of the child. As children engage themselves in their day-to-day activities they are assessed formatively in Language, Numeracy, Physical â Gross and Motor, Personal, Social, Emotional and creative Domains.
Intellectual growth is also encouraged through sharing stories and discussion, writing, number games, observation, and scientific experiences. A record of individual student attainment and progress is maintained through an on-going system of spaced oral and written activities and parents are regularly apprised of the same. Student progress is tracked on a regular basis through cycle evaluations every week.
â¢ A Thematic Integrated Approach.
â¢ First-hand, concrete, age appropriate, relevant multi-sensorial learning experiences based on their fundamental and developmental needs.
â¢ Activity based and skill-oriented learning.
â¢ Physical/Motor skills
â¢ Personal, Social, Emotional skills
â¢ Language skills
â¢ Numeracy skills
â¢ Creative skills
â¢ Knowledge & Understanding of the world
â¢ Play-based, hands-on and experiential learning
Curriculum Enrichment Activities
â¢ Annual concert & Sports Day
â¢ Field Trips
â¢ Special Day Celebrations
Moral Education Curriculum
Success in practical life is not limited to acquiring knowledge and academic achievement. It is also based on helping students to have balanced characters built on ethics, knowledge and culture, with the values of justice, tolerance and noble actions at their core.
---- Ministry of Education
The Moral Education Programme (MEP) is compulsory for all students in Year 2 â Year 13. It was introduced by the UAE Government to ensure students are knowledgeable about their context within the UAE and to foster core skills and values in each individual to support their development into young adults and able to confidently and effectively take their place in a modern and multicultural society. It aims to:
These aims are developed in the teaching programme through four main areas (or pillars) of learning and study:
The four pillars are linked to each other, with building moral thinking and character forming the basis of the programme. Critical thinking, learning and communication skills are also developed through the programme, which will support students in all aspects of their education, in school and beyond.
In supporting our students to become young adults who are equipped with the skills to succeed in todayâs modern and multicultural world, it is essential to work with parents. We ask that you engage with the pillars and content of the Moral Education Programme and discuss school lessons and topics with your child and take an active interest in homework activities set.
Further information can be found at: www.moraleducation.ae