Mathematics in Early Childhood Learning
A position of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Question: Why is mathematics important for early childhood learners?
A growing body of research supports the implementation of curricular resources and program standards for mathematics for early childhood learners (Richardson, 2000; NAEYC & NAECS/SDE, 2003; Clements, Sarama, & DiBiase, 2004; NAEYC, 2009; National Research Council, 2009). The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) recommend the implementation of “curriculum that is thoughtfully planned, challenging, engaging, developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, comprehensive, and likely to promote positive outcomes for all young children” (2003). This research underscores the need to expand the implementation of pre-kindergarten programs to all communities to provide greater access to early mathematics instruction for early childhood learners. In mathematics, curricular and program standards should be flexible guidelines based on the following criteria: available research and expert practice, the big ideas of mathematics for children, and a range of expectations for outcomes that are developmentally appropriate (Clements, Sarama, & DiBiase, 2004). The big ideas in mathematics must include mathematical experiences that incorporate mathematics content in areas such as number and operations, geometry, algebraic reasoning, and measurement. Mathematics curricula and teaching practices should rest on a solid understanding of both mathematics and the development of young children. Understanding should be monitored by observation and other informal evaluations to ensure that instructional decisions are based on each child’s mathematical needs.
Research on children’s learning in the first six years of life demonstrates the importance of early experiences in mathematics. An engaging and encouraging climate for children’s early encounters with mathematics develops their confidence in their ability to understand and use mathematics. These positive experiences help children to develop dispositions such as curiosity, imagination, flexibility, inventiveness, and persistence, which contribute to their future success in and out of school (Clements & Conference Working Group, 2004).
Early childhood educators should actively introduce mathematical concepts, methods, and language through a variety of appropriate experiences and research-based teaching strategies. Teachers should guide children in seeing connections of ideas within mathematics as well as with other subjects, developing their mathematical knowledge throughout the day and across the curriculum. They must encourage children to communicate, explaining their thinking as they interact with important mathematics in deep and sustained ways.
Teacher education programs must include attention to the mathematics component of early childhood programs, and continuing professional development opportunities should support high-quality mathematics education. Effective professional programs weave together mathematics content, pedagogy, and knowledge of child development and family relationships (Ball & Cohen, 1999). The development of institutional policies that promote teachers’ mathematical learning, teamwork, and planning can provide necessary resources to overcome classroom, community, institutional, and system-wide barriers to young children’s mathematical proficiency.
NCTM position statements define a particular problem, issue, or need and describe its relevance to mathematics education. Each statement defines the Council's position or answers a question central to the issue. The NCTM Board of Directors approves position statements.


Adapting Art Education for Exceptional Children
Henley, David R., School Arts
A current theory in art education calls for the teaching of studio art in concert with the disciplines of art history, criticism and aesthetics. Each of these areas can have an enriching effect upon a child's learning experience and artistic development. However, for the child with physical, mental or emotional special needs, the introduction of academic material into the studio experience carries with it serious implications. In recent years, studio art has been widely called upon to be the first (and sometimes only) opportunity for the special needs child to be mainstreamed into regular classes. Art is widely regarded as a more "forgiving" subject in which successes can be achieved despite a child's other deficits.
With some modifications in lesson structure, or adaptations of media or techniques, exceptional children have been able to reap the rewards of being in a mainstreamed environment. These rewards include access to more normative peers, greater educational challenges, lessening of social stigmas and increased opportunities to become adjusted to life beyond a sheltered special education atmosphere. However, with the increase in academic expectations in the art curriculum, exceptional children may again find themselves straggling, defeated or, quite possibly, removed altogether from the mainstream setting. It may be pertinent then to explore some possible solutions to these problems, and suggest some approaches for the use of art historical/contemporary visual aides and art criticism with students who require special consideration.
While art historical or contemporary visual aides play an important part in the learning process, it is important that there be a balance maintained between self-expression and academic rigor. In those programs in which academic rigor dominates expressive self-exploration, the work is often stereo-typical, pretentious or slavishly mimetic. Visual aides should aspire to motivate and inform the child artist, regardless of whether the student has special needs. Handled with sensitivity, the introduction of contemporary or historical visual aides should not necessarily intrude upon the expressivity of the child artist. Used as a motivational resource, they can assist in generating ideas or can facilitate a needed shift in content or style away from commercial stereotypes. For this reason, art reproductions should be complementary to the child's aesthetic sensibility, so that the capacity to stimulate and expand creative responses leads to a greater investment in artistic effort.
Such resources can inspire students if connections are made with particular artists whose work reminds them of their own. For example, by using Chagall's dream-like images to further the aims of motivation, rather than to study and imitate, children filter their own iconography through the master's. Students may also begin to research other modernists working in the so-called primitivist or naive manner such as DuBuffet and Klee. Research should not pretend to assume an academic style of learning (i.e., memorization, stylistic analysis, etc.). However, by creating a working relationship and identification with these artists, students may absorb the modernist sensibility. Such experiences allow a child's own style to expand while remaining true to its own nature.
A group of middle schoolers were shown slides of Stonehenge, earthen drawings from the ancient Peruvian Nazca People and the Ohioan Indian Snake Mounds along with the con temporary work of Robert Morris, Nancy Graves and Isamu Noguchi. …


The recipe for a successful system of public education is community engagement in the schools, emotionally and physically safe schools where students feel they belong, and quality schools that prepare students for 21st century careers and post-secondary education.
Those are the guiding principles of the Alaska Education Plan, created by hundred of Alaskans in November 2008.
We all know that some schools are struggling to achieve student proficiency in reading, writing, and math - the core subjects that are the basis for critical thinking and problem-solving in daily life and on the job. In some schools the percentage of proficient students is in the low double digits. It has been this way for years.
When I travel around the state, whether I am in a village or a city, kids tell me of their dreams for the future. Children rely on adults to help them achieve their dreams. We must not have a lesser vision for children than they have for themselves.
The state has a responsibility to help struggling schools build their capacity to improve student achievement. Our task is to balance local control with state support. Success depends on the ability of the state, schools and communities to work collaboratively.
The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development has developed, and is continually refining, the State System of Support, which is directed by the deputy commissioner. The Legislature has provided funds for increased support. An independent organization gives us feedback from school districts about our interventions.
The State System of Support provides tiers of services to school districts based on their need. All districts have access to training in the best practices of effective schools. Districts that are not making sufficient student progress are provided with coaches, who are experienced Alaska educators, to help them fulfill their improvement plans.
The state intervenes more rigorously and explicitly in districts that have the greatest need. The state strives to intervene to the least degree necessary to set struggling schools on a positive track.
Here are some of the keys to the State System of Support: Schools make sure their curriculum and instruction aligns with the state's academic standards. Principals are instructional leaders. The school district's in-school training opportunities for teachers are focused on the school's needs. Educators look at assessment data, their classroom observations and their own assignments - and they collaboratively decide what each student needs.
Specialists in academic content work directly with teachers, observing them in the classroom, modeling good instructional strategies, providing feedback to teachers on lessons, and ensuring that the state's content standards are taught.
Coaches work with school boards, principals and the superintendent to make sure the right conditions are in place to implement the district's improvement plan, and they coordinate state support. Coaches and mentors work with new principals and teachers.
Intervention also includes developing early childhood learning programs, implementing sound reading programs, and providing parent, community and cultural understanding to educators.
Parents also play a vital role in student achievement. Parents are the primary teachers of children. They are responsible for their children's attendance at school. Among their many roles in a busy day are to send their children to school rested, fed and ready to learn, and monitor homework after the school day ends. More fundamentally, parents communicate to their children a vision of the future that includes success in school and career.
We have no greater responsibility than creating paths for our children to find their places in society as adults, whether it is holding a job, practicing subsistence, or raising a family - and sometimes all three. Schools play a role in this task, as do parents and communities. Our goal is for the parents, schools and communities to work hand in hand. The children must come first.
Larry LeDoux is Alaska Commissioner of Education & Early Development and a former principal in and superintendent of in the Kodiak Island Borough School District.


The metronome is an essential tool for any musicians of all levels. It’s not just a piece of music equipment with which you to try to play as fast as possible. There are many ways that we can use a metronome to improve our skills.
One advantage of using a metronome that many people take for granted is that it forces you to listen more carefully, and it also demands that you listen to something other than yourself, thus increasing your awareness of music. First, be sure that your metronome is loud enough so that you can hear it clearly. You can test that by turning on the metronome at a moderately slow tempo and playing some simple rhythms. If you have trouble hearing the clicking metronome clearly, try using a talking metronome, or consider getting a louder speaker.
Whether you are working on an isolated section of music or an entire piece, it is essential that you select a tempo that will help you learn the music accurately. Most students err on the side of trying to play too fast. As a result, they often skip over sections that are difficult and never really learn the music they are trying to play.
Begin with a tempo at which you can play your music effortlessly and accurately. It might seem like the tempo is much too slow at first, but by playing the music accurately and staying relaxed while doing so, you are developing and reinforcing good habits.
Sometimes composers will include a metronome marking or number that indicates the beats per minute. For example, the piece might say “quarter note = 100.” When you see a marking with a specific number, it does not mean that you should begin practicing the piece at that tempo. Make that tempo your goal, but start your practice at a slower pace.
Composers might also indicate tempos with Italian terms like adagio, andante, moderato, or allegro. Some metronomes include these terms along with the Beats Per Minute (BPM) numbers. However, those tempo ranges are not entirely accurate and can be misleading. If the music you are working on is marked “Allegro” and your metronome says that allegro is 120 BPM, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to play the piece at 120.
If the music you are practicing is marked at 112 BPM and you can only play it accurately at 84 BPM, be patient and speed up the tempo gradually, moving up one notch at a time. If there is one section of the piece that is much more difficult than the rest of it, isolate that section and slow it down to a comfortable tempo. Practice it more frequently than the easier sections of the music and gradually increase the tempo until it matches that of the rest of the piece. Besides the error of trying to play too fast, one of the biggest mistakes that students make is to ignore the difficult sections in a piece of music. Listen carefully to yourself and to the metronome, and make sure that you are playing accurately.
A great way to listen more carefully is to record yourself practicing with a metronome. It allows you to listen to what you are playing without having to focus on the technical demands of your instrument. By doing so, you can hear your performance more clearly and evaluate it more accurately.
Visit my music education blog pedagogyofmusic.blogspot.com to learn more about how to use a metronome effectively:
Improve your sense of beat
Have fun practicing with a metronome
Expand your musical awareness with a metronome
How to select a tempo for your metronome


Many educators believe that children are better off in kindergarten -- and more primed for success generally -- if they enroll when they are older than most classmates. This belief in academic "redshirting" (named for the athletics practice of keeping players off the field for a year to extend eligibility) leads to many parental debates on the relative merits of enrolling junior in public school as soon as possible or a bit later. Some parents even attempt to time birth with cutoff dates in the school districts in which they live.
The impact seems especially logical in early education, where eight months of age difference of two kindergarten students can mean (given young ages) that the older student has a substantial edge over the younger students. Some have extended this well beyond kindergarten. Malcolm Gladwell,  for example, has argued that those who start school timed so that they are older than their classmates (and who are hockey players) are more likely to be drafted, and drafted high, by a National Hockey League team.
But what about Ph.D.s? Are you more likely to be one if you were strategically redshirted as a child? If you want your children to follow in your footsteps, should you place your offspring in kindergarten as late as possible?
It turns out that whatever academic benefits redshirting may have early on (or for hockey players) don't show up when it comes to earning a doctorate. The Cornell Higher Education Research Institute has released a paper  by Kevin M. Kniffin and Andrew S. Hanks, two postdoctoral fellows at Cornell University, who analyzed the question of "relative age effects" (as the topic is called) on doctoral education. Controlling for discipline and other factors, they found no impact of the start date of one's elementary education on the age at which one earned a Ph.D. or post-Ph.D. salary.
The scholars identified new Ph.D.s from the Survey of Earned Doctorates, their birth dates, and the cutoff dates for kindergarten enrollment (placing students in the states in which they were born to allow for comparisons across the United States). They could find no benefit (or cost) for doctoral students having started school later.
Kniffin and Hanks acknowledge in the paper that they don't have data for those who started but did not complete a Ph.D. and that they assume similar levels of redshirting from state to state (since they don't know how many parents of Ph.D.s engaged in the practice). But they write that their study shows that by the time students reach doctoral level education, any positive impact of redshirting seems to have disappeared.
At the same time, the authors used the income data (combined with trends on inflation and retirement data) to estimate the average impact of academic redshirting on a Ph.D. recipient's lifetime earnings. Starting a year later will over the course of an average academic career cost someone with a Ph.D. a bit more than $138,000.


This week we bring you Dinosaur & Volcano Small World Play in the bath, and it might just be my preschoolers favorite bath time so far. My 4 year old actually requested something to the effect of “dinosaurs and volcano with lava oozing down and red lava rocks shooting out from the volcano and smokey gray clouds coming up from the volcano covering the sky.” I’m beginning to think his brain is as full of crazy ideas as mine is! So it was just up to me to add a few more details to pull off his vision. And both kids absolutely LOVED it!!
The set-up was surprisingly simple considering all the details of the request. I cut a brown volcano and several black clouds from sheets of craft foam. I wet the volcano and it stuck to the wall of the bath like a removable sticker. I simply floated the black clouds in the bath water since the volcano hadn’t erupted yet. I tossed in some shiny red pom poms to act as the pyroclastic lava rocks Luke had requested, and I set up some of the kids’ plastic dinosaur figurines on the edge of the bath.
While the tub filled, I whipped up some lava paint so the kids could paint the volcanic eruption themselves. It’s super simple to make!
It takes a good bit of food coloring, but we didn’t have any issues with staining. The lava paint washed completely away when we were finished playing.
I made our lava paint in one of the pieces of our coconut shell. You can see all the other fun we’ve had with this coconut here. It gave it a bit of a prehistoric look, which fit in well with the dinosaurs and volcano!
The kids had so much fun putting the volcano together! First they finger painted the vertical blast of lava, followed by some more gentle lava flows down the side of the volcano.
They used up every bit of lava paint I had made crafting the eruption, and then they added the black clouds of smoke and ash covering the sky.
After the big volcanic eruption, they played with the toy dinosaurs for a bit…until I introduced part 2 of our Dinosaur & Volcano Small World Play:
You can pop right over here to my new site, Parent Teach Play, to see what we did next! It’s worth seeing if I do say so myself!!
Science Experiments in the Bath
Bath Time Science Lab
Submarine Science for Kids
Weather Experiments Bath
This post may contain affiliate links.


Texas A&M University-Kingsville art professor Santa Barraza was chosen to be a part of the Women Shaping Texas in the 20th Century exhibit at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. This is the first major exhibition in 30 years to tell the story of the impact of women on the state’s development. It is open through Sunday, May 19.
Texas A&I University alumni Barraza and Carman Lomas Garza are the only two visual artists in the show. Barraza’s contribution is a four foot by eight foot painting entitled Frances con el Arbol de la Vida. It is acrylics on amate paper and was produced in 2011.
“It is an honor to be included among a group of strong women who led our state through suffrage, citizenship and other campaigns throughout history,” Barraza said. “And because Carmen and I are the only visual artists in the show, it makes it truly special.”
Garza and Barraza are placed on the same panel which gives some background information on each artist. Barraza’s part said she was encouraged by the Chicano/a movement to express herself artistically. “Her work braids together many of the deep influences of the South Texas borderlands, reflecting her Mexican-American heritage and her identity as a descendant of the native Karankawas who once inhabited the Texas coast.
“Her bold, color drenched images address Mexican-American border life and culture, especially the religious elements, as well as the older pre-Columbian heritage. Barraza conveys the deep spiritual nature of the borderland – ‘a magical, magnetic location of unbendable forces’ – and its native people through people of marginalization and loss,” the panel said.
Garza and Barraza were born within three years of each other and brought up in Kingsville in the 1950s and 1960s. Garza, taught herself to draw by checking out library books about art and practicing on her own.
Garza’s portion of the panel reads, “The Chicano/a movement of her college years, in which young Mexican Americans promoted pride in their identity, gave her a sense of possibility for sharing her childhood world. She earned her master’s degrees in art education and fine art and developed her career painting pictures exhibited in museums and in children’s books.
“Her work depicts families and communities going about their everyday lives or sharing special events. ‘Almost all of my artwork is based on my memories of growing up in South Texas. And I have a very vivid memory.I have a picture in my mind’.”
According to the news release sent out by the Bullock Museum the story of Texas wouldn’t be complete without the many histories of the determined women who stepped up to fight for the rights, improve public services and help create the state that we know today. Women Shaping Texas in the 20th Century celebrates the achievements, crusades and dedication of Texas’ women of the past century. This exhibit was guest-curated by Dr. Paula Marks, an associate professor of American Studies at St. Edward’s University and a prominent author of women’s history.
Admission to the museum’s exhibits including Women Shaping Texas in the 20th Century, is $9 for adults, $8 for college students with a valid identification card; $7 for senior citizens and military with a valid identification card; $6 for youth ages 4-17; and free for children three and under.
The Bullock Texas State History Museum is located at 1800 N. Congress Avenue at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more information, call 512-936-4649.


By the time most of us first encountered Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky” from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, we were fluent readers. However, I am sure that you can recall the sense of cognitive dissonance that the nonsense words in this poem created.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Essentially, you were having the same experience that many beginning readers have when they see words on a page for the first time. When we encounter nonsense words, we are forced to rely on our knowledge of the alphabetic code, rather than memorization, to read the words. Phonics instruction supplies learners with strategies for approaching unfamiliar words in text. In fact, research has shown that using nonsense words in phonics instruction can increase a student’s ability to read words with accuracy and automaticity. Here are a few benefits of using nonsense words.
Nonsense words provide an effective way for teachers to assess how well a student is applying the skills that are being taught in phonics instruction.
Fluent decoding is the ability to quickly attach sound to written spelling patterns off the English language. When students memorize words as a whole, it is hard for a teacher to tell if they are relying on decoding strategies or memorization skills to read.
Professor of human development and applied psychology Keith Stanovich (2000) conducted a comprehensive review of the cause and effect relationship of children's overall reading ability, and their ability to decode nonsense words. He concluded that the ability to fluently decode nonsense words is discovered to be a "potent predictor of reading ability at all levels" (p. 100).
Practice with nonsense words improves a student’s ability to ‘attack’ unknown or unfamiliar words in text.
How often have you seen a student just stop reading when they come to a word they don’t readily recognize? Students who have had practice decoding words that they clearly know to be nonsense words, transfer the same word attack skills to real words. These skills allow them to appropriately use the context of a sentence to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words rather than unsuccessfully over-relying on context to decode words.
Nonsense words can be used to effectively teach syllabication.
Many children experience a plateau with reading in third or fourth grade. Up until that point, they have been able to get by with memorization and guessing strategies. By third or fourth grade, more advanced work attack skills are needed. Multi-syllabic words require decoding many small "word parts" and putting them together. These word parts are like nonsense words (mul-ti-pli-ca-tion).One study, found that students who practiced syllabication skills by reading and spelling nonsense words made significantly greater improvements in word identification, word attack, and reading comprehension than their peers who did not have practice with nonsense words (Diliberto, Beattie, Flowers, & Algozzine, 2009).
Here a few ideas to make effective use of nonsense words in your phonics curriculum:
- Make sure that nonsense words are clearly identified as words that are not real. For example, Reading Horizons methodology uses an asterisk to mark each nonsense word.
- Explain to students that nonsense words do not make sense. In other words, they have no meaning unless you give them meaning (remember this book?).Teaching idea: In my first grade class, we identified words as ‘Alien’ words or words that would only make sense to a life form from another planet. During free-time students could create definitions for these words and add them to our Alien Dictionary.
- Use nonsense words responsibly. The majority of words used in phonics instruction should be real words. In fact, if you are teaching ELL students it is recommended that you use nonsense words only when you feel certain that they can distinguish them from real words.
- Not so great at creating nonsense words with more than one syllable? Here is one resource for generating multisyllabic nonsense words.
Students cannot read for meaning if they cannot decode words. Nonsense words can be a fun format for readers to apply the skills they have learned to unknown words. The pay-off for teachers will come as you see your students’ ability to fluently read and comprehend what they are reading.
Diliberto, J., Beattie, J., Flowers, C., & Algozzine, R. (2009). Effects of teaching syllable skills instruction on reading achievement in struggling middle school readers. Literacy Research and Instruction, 48 (1) 14-28
Stanovich, K.E. (2000). Progress in understanding reading. New York, NY: Guilford.


May 24, 2012
Striking a chord: Music education symposium, June 18-21, focuses on how students learn through music
What sparks students to learn through music is the focus of this year's Kansas State University Music Symposium, June 18-21, in Manhattan.
Music educators of all levels -- from general music and instrumental teachers to vocal/choral teachers -- can enhance their teaching based on current research in how the brain reacts to music.
Jana Fallin, a professor of music education and distinguished teaching scholar at Kansas State University, says researchers are finding that music sparks the brain in many different areas, sometimes affecting the brain in more areas than any other curricular subject.
"We are beginning to know so much about how the brain works due to advanced technology with brain scanning," Fallin said. "We know that the brain has to turn on in order to learn. Music does this turning on for our thinking and learning."
Now in its 24th year, the Music Symposium has featured national experts in music education, performance, history, pedagogy, ethnomusicology and curriculum development. This year's speaker, Richard Edwards, coordinator of music education at Ohio Wesleyan University, is known nationally for neuromusical research.
"He's created an extensive database of research studies and is able to explain how the brain functions and what music does to the brain in very understandable ways," Fallin said.
Additional speaker sessions cover teaching strategies, use of technology in the classroom and the latest music available for use in the music classroom. The symposium also will include performances from public school groups and regional artists, dance and creative movement sessions and the chance to network with music education professionals from all across Kansas.
Last fall, the symposium received a regional award from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association for being an innovative noncredit program serving educators in rural areas.
"To be successful today, students must be able to think of many answers, many solutions to problems. Music education does this," Fallin said. "It teaches creativity and critical thinking skills. It teaches the whole person."


- Nicotine, including secondhand smoke
- Medications, both over-the-counter and prescription drugs
- Herbs and high-dose supplements, vitamin A
- Fish, mollusks and shellfish, sushi (raw fish)
- Hot tubs and saunas
- Household clear, paint thinners
- Cat litter (because of an infectious disease called toxoplasmosis caused by a parasite found in cat feces)
- Raw milk and cheese
- Soft cheese and blue-veined cheeses such as feta, Roquefort, and Brie
- Artificial colors, nitrates, and MSG
- Deli meats, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and undercooked meats
Women who want to become pregnant, are pregnant or breast-feeding should eat at least 12 ounces of fatty fish such as tuna every week to help themselves and their babies, experts will recommend later on Thursday.Eat tuna! Have they gone loony? Dr. Fuhrman is very mercury-phobic—especially for pregnant mothers! And tuna is hardly a safe fish. More from Disease-Proof Your Child:
Fish including mackerel, sardines, light tuna and salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids -- components of fat known to help brain development. Walnuts, flaxseed oil and leafy green vegetables also contain the compounds.
Women need the nutrients to prevent postpartum depression and babies need them for brain and motor skill development, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies coalition says.
The coalition, which includes the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says "90 percent of women are consuming less than the recommended amount of fish."
But these fish can also carry high levels of mercury, which is a brain and nerve toxin.
Higher levels of mercury found in mothers who eat more fish have been associated with birth defects, seizures, mental retardation, developmental disabilities, and cerebral palsy.1 This is mostly the result of women having eaten fish when they were pregnant. Scientists believe that fetuses are much more sensitive to mercury exposure than adults, although adults do suffer from varying degrees of brain damage from fish consumption.2 Even the FDA, which normally ignores reports on the dangers of our dangerous food practices, acknowledges that large fish such as shark, swordfish, and yellowfin and bluefin tuna, are potentially dangerous. Researchers are also concerned about other toxins concentrated in fish that can cause brain damage way before the cancers caused by chemical-carrying fish appear.
Fish with Highest and Lowest Mercury Levels
- white snapper
I have one final question. Who writes these reports? Bozo the Clown!
1. Shamlaye, C. F., D. O. Marsh, G. J. Myers, et al. 1995. The Seychelles Child Development Study on neurodevelopmental outcomes in children following in utero exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish diet: background and demographics. Neurotoxicology 16 (4): 597-612; Rylander L., U. Stromberg, and L. Hagmar. 1996. Dietary intake of fish contaminated with persistent organochlorine compounds in relation to low birthweight. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health 2 (4): 260-66; Does methylmercury have a role in causing developmental disabilities in children? 2000. Environ. Health Perspect. 108 (supp.3): 413-20.
2. Clarkson, T.W. 1997. The toxicology of mercury. Crit. Rev. Clin. Lab. Sci. 34(4):369-403.


Be sure to ask about physical play, as well. There is a direct correlation between gross motor skill development and the overall health of a preschooler. When you go on your tour, ask whether outside play is a part of the daily routine, and look at the play area for yourself. Is there plenty of room for the kids to run around? Are there climbing structures, riding toys, balls for the kids to throw? All of these teach important motor skills.
Ask whether the children are given free time each day to choose their own activities.
It’s important to encourage independence, and this is one way that preschools can help children to learn to make good choices. When you take your tour, you want to keep an eye out for materials and toys that teach reading, math, science, time and space, but you also want to make sure that there is some time built into each day when the children get to choose their own activities. Look at the daily schedule. See if there are blocks of time devoted to “free play” or “center time.” This is usually when more independent learning takes place.
Make sure that the school’s philosophies mirror your family’s values.
Ask questions about how the school handles social and emotional issues. These should closely align to what you do at home. Not only will this make you feel more comfortable with the preschool, but your child will learn better with consistency. One way to get a good sense of a school’s approach to these issues is to ask how a teacher would handle a the following situation: Two children always play together, but one day one of the two decides to play with a different child and the other one feels left out. What steps would the teacher take? Then think about whether the school’s approach is the same one that you would use.
Look for a positive, nurturing relationship between the teachers and the children.
This is what parents know to look for by instinct. In many cases, preschool is the first time that a child will be away from his or her parents for an extended period of time, and it’s important that the new relationships a child builds with grown-ups are kind and thoughtful ones. When you visit the school, look at the faces of the teachers. Are they smiling? Are they encouraging the little ones in their care? These are also good questions to ask of other parents whose children attend the school. Use your network – most parents are thrilled to have the opportunity to brag about their preschools.


TAMIU Professor Contributes
to Children's Music Magazine
A local musician and educator is helping children better understand and celebrate Cinco de Mayo around the country through music. Dr. Gilberto D. Soto, associate professor of music education at Texas A&M International University, co-authored a song and developed a lesson plan for the May/June 2006 issue of John Jacobson's Music Express Magazine.
"Viva el Cinco de Mayo," written by Dr. Soto and internationally recognized music educator and clinician John Jacobson, tells of the Battle of Puebla in 1862 where "many lives were changed forever by the courage of a few," and tells the children, "We sing because we're free!" The song also invites neighbors to "rise and sing the glory of heroes in ev'ry tale."
Although the five years of struggle against the French that continued after the Battle of Puebla aren't included in the song, Soto's lesson plan includes the rest of the history lesson in a condensed version for intermediate students to understand. The plan also includes suggestions for materials that are traditional items of the state of Puebla, México.
Music Express, published by the Hal Leonard Corporation, is a unique music education resource that supplies five new songs in each issue, provides new activities and teaching strategies and keeps teachers updated on issues facing music educators nationwide.
Soto is author of ¡Fiesta De Canciones! and co-author of Multilevel Strategies for English Language Learners and Spotlight on Music. He teaches courses for music and children as well as being in charge of the guitar program in the department of fine and performing arts and the popular Classical Guitar Ensemble. He received his B.Ed. from Universidad Autonoma del Noreste in México, B.A. from Abilene Christian University and his M.M. and Ph.D. from University of Southern Mississippi.
For more information, please contact Soto at 326.3046, e-mail email@example.com or visit offices in Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, room 216A.
University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests
and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information
Services at firstname.lastname@example.org


Why practice phonograms?
Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is a key component of effective reading instruction. Knowledge of letters and their sounds is essential.
Research studies report that systematic and explicit phonics instruction significantly improves word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension.
The Phonogram Page, a free service of Johnny Can Spell, is designed to promote phonics and handwriting awareness, parent involvement, and student mastery of the 70 common phonograms of the English language.
N.I.N.E. Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1987 by Alice Nine to support excellence in education. Since then, N.I.N.E. Enterprises has sponsored hundreds of literacy training events nationally and internationally for educators, parents, and interested people.
Alice Nine firmly believes teachers and parents must have thorough knowledge of our language and appropriate strategies to teach our children sequentially the subskills of writing and reading. To that end, N.I.N.E. Enterprises offers training and materials.
For more information, a calendar of training events, and a complete listing of our products, visit us at www.nine-enterprises.com
The next step, SpellDrill.com
Once students have been introduced to the sounds and symbols of English, it is necessary to begin to blending and segmenting by decoding and encoding words. For this reason, N.I.N.E. Enterprises is currently developing SpellDrill.com, a daily spelling session.
Who uses PhonogramPage?
Anyone learning to read, write, or speak English profits. Children and adults alike benefit from the phonics practice provided by PhonogramPage. People around the globe use it daily.
What is Johnny Can Spell?
Johnny Can Spell, a systematic, explicit phonics program, presents the phonograms (the sound-symbol correspondences) initially in isolation but develops mastery through daily application in spelling, reading, and writing. Read more ...
Phone: (800) 791-8962


Dawning Realism (9 to 11 years)
By Lois E. Wilson, Senior Scribe
Former Art Education Instructor, Miami
significance of this stage of development
lies in children discovering social independence; they see that they
more in a group of peers than alone. Most commonly, it is a same sex
Girls may choose dressing up and parties; boys may prefer playing war,
codes and rules for their groups. Cooperation with adults can decrease
children exert social independence.
their drawings, there is an attempt to
depict the environment in a more realistic way; however, this realism
is not in
the photographic sense. Children see their own lack of ability to show
the way they appear; therefore, they depict experiences with objects.
the exaggerated tongue of the boy eating an ice cream bar in the above
They may put more details on the emotionally significant parts of their
which can cause stiffness in it.
Children begin to see that the space
between base lines is important and
the plane is discovered. Objects do not appear only on a base line but
appropriate areas between.
demonstrate the first step of a conscious
visual concept of depth by sizing objects in their work. Paper-cutting
the child to experience the meaning of overlapping in creating the
illusion. The human is shown as boy, girl, man, woman defined by
size. Patterns in clothing indicate awareness of repetition which is
the striped shirt and camouflage of the above cut-paper illustration.
household items, sponges, or erasers to dip into paint and print with
the child to create repetitive patterns.
dimensions are suggested by shapes and
shading. Lessons to teach color use at this stage destroy spontaneous
approaches and make children insecure in their own intuitive color
They can be made more color conscious by emphasizing their own
color. Motivate the child to transfer feelings into colors which have
at this age level, children become
withdrawn. Group art work can only be effective if children feel that
accomplished as a group could not have done by themselves alone. Group
using overlapping paper parts or modeling figures for a
are good group projects.
crafts can be successful at this
stage. Working with
fabrics, and papers of various colors and textures is recommended.
materials such as wire, sheet metal, wood, and papier-mâché will
children to consider the properties of materials in their applied
child is expanding knowledge through experimentation and experiences.
should support this search with a continued positive attitude toward
child’s creative expressions.


Here at WCS we offer music, choir, band and chimes. Our overall goal is to instill in students a well-rounded appreciation of music as a gift from God and an avenue of praise to Him. Our curriculum goals are based on the National Standards for Music Education as stated by the Music Educators National Convention (MENC):
1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture
These goals are put into practice through singing, moving, chanting, playing instruments, reading music, and listening. Through all of this, students learn the fundamentals of music as well as what the Bible teaches us about music and how it is to be used in worship, daily life, and encouragement of others. Students have various opportunities to put these into practice through chapel, the Grandparent’s Day program, the Christmas program, and other day-to-day activities.
Music curriculum is adjusted to the appropriate grade level for each class. Beginning in preschool, students learn to explore the sounds and experiences of music. Each year the curriculum builds on this knowledge and experience. In third grade, students begin learning to play the recorder. Fourth grade students learn all about instruments, bands, and orchestras in preparation for the option to start a band instrument. Guitars are introduced in fifth grade, and sixth grade finishes the year with the annual musical. All students are also introduced to Composers of the Month throughout the school year. This introduces students to the lives of the great composers and to some of their most famous compositions.
“The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” ~ Johann Sebastian Bach


Every child in his or her developing years is a very keen learner. Children are curious about almost everything that takes place around them. Whatever they see, hear and smell are all like mysteries waiting to be uncovered. Curiosity is merely their natural desire to learn, explore, discover and understand things, which make them understand the world around them.
A curious child keeps exploring and learning, probably well into his adulthood as well. Hence, supporting your child's natural ability to be curious will help him become certainly a life-long learner. In addition, during the process of discovery, your child has ample chances to develop his creativity and also learn various problem solving skills on his own.
As a parent, you can provide opportunities and ambiance to help nurture your child's curiosity in following ways:
- Expose frequently your child to new knowledge and experience through reading books, listening moral stories, participating in outdoor activities and playing various games.
- Encourage your child to ask question if he has doubts or queries, and help him to finding the answers. Make sure to make your little learner not be afraid of asking and testing out new ideas.
Ways to Encourage Your Child's Curiosity and Learning
There are various ways in which you can encourage your child’s curiosity and learning. Few of them are as follows:
Nature: Take a walk along with your child in the park or a forest. Nature is one of the best schools, as it comprises natural teaching materials for example, plants, insects, flowers, trees, birds, fruits etc. that will set a child's curious mind clicking and desiring to explore them all and consequently learn through them.
Museums, zoos and aquariums: Visiting museums, zoos and aquariums and other such places have also great things like artifacts and creatures, dead or alive, which all can arouse a young child's curiosity and imagination. It is a very interesting way to learn about history and life sciences for children.
Question Games: Encourage your child to play games which offer them to ask a lot of questions. For instance, puzzle games, which comprise a lot of things like, fruits, vegetables, transport etc. this way they will not only learn questions about those things but also try to place them at right places in the puzzle, and hence develop their problem solving, analytical and fine motor skills.
Be Patient and Answer Calmly
While trying to encourage your child's natural ability to see, get curious and question, you may at times find those “why's” and “how's” annoying, particularly when you're busy. You may also feel uneasy answering some questions, or baffled if you don't know how to answer them.
Nevertheless, be careful not to kill his curiosity by shutting him up or brushing aside his questions. Those little out of curiosity questions can be killed very easily with responses, like “don't disturb me” or “don't ask”. Crushing your child's curiosity too often may hamper a very critical early childhood learning process.
There may be a reason behind those never-ending questions, such as trying to seek your attention, or not satisfied fully with the answer provided. Whichever reason it may be, following ways can be tried to handle the different situations and that too in a very positive manner.
- If your child frequently asks the same question, ask if he knows the answer. Your child probably will answer his own question and stop at it. He asks the same question many times as he just wants to have your attention or approval, so be patient.
- If you're busy, tell your child very politely that you will get back to him later. Simply ignoring your child’s questions often lead him to find his own answer in different ways and from different sources that may be misleading.
- Honestly admit if you don't have the answer for the question of your child, and tell him that you'll find out and tell the answer to him later. Always tell it in a proper manner; or your child will never stop asking.
- When dealing with difficult questions, ask for some time to think about it, this allows you to come up with the best age-appropriate response for your child. Don't lie to your child; if he finds out the truth he may not believe in you anymore.
- You can also persuade your child to find answers for himself by going to the library, or by getting help from other family members or school teachers.


Mr. Michael Delahunt
Graphic Design 1 & 2
Make a Collection of 50 Logos
A logo, also known as a trademark, is an identifying mark for a product, service, or organization.
Use your browser to visit web sites where you can copy logos, and then paste them onto new pages in Adobe Illustrator.
You will be designing logos yourself in other assignments. The goal of this assignment is get you started in thinking about their design by researching what kinds of logos have already been designed.
In your collection of logos, include at least five of each of the following types of companies:
- sports equipment
- sports teams
- bands / music groups
- food or beverage
Here are links to some pages where you're sure to find examples you can include in your collection:
- ArtLex defines "logo" and displays examples
- Major League Baseball
- Plush Skateboards
- Sumitomo Sitix Silicon, Inc.
- XEN Skateboard Co.
Some of the best search engines are:
Complete your collection of 40 logos found on the Internet: Tuesday, November 6th.
Return to Graphic Design Course
ArtLex has thousands of articles about art terms used in art production, art criticism, art history, aesthetics, and art education. I created ArtLex for my students, to help them increase their understanding of art concepts, readings, writings, and conversations. Some of the hyperlinks found on the pages about my elementary art program will take you to ArtLex articles about terms on these pages.
I have taught art at three elementary schools in the Paradise Valley Unified School district (northeastern Phoenix and north Scottsdale) from 1986-. I began publishing information about my classes on the Web in 1995. I taught at Pinnacle High School during the 2001-2002 school year, and posted these lessons that year. I will maintain them as time permits.
Please send your comments to
Copyright © 2001 -Michael Delahunt, M.F.A.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


What Is Liberal Studies (Elementary Education)?
LMU's Liberal Studies (Elementary Education) major prepares students for successful careers as elementary educators, specifically in grades K-5. The major enables students to earn a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies together with a California preliminary multiple subjects teaching credential within four years. The Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA) works closely with LMU’s School of Education to offer students a program that meets both LMU degree requirements and the credential requirements established by the state of California, while promoting the LMU mission of the encouragement of learning, the education of men and women for others, the service of faith, and the promotion of justice. The program is approved by and meets all the standards of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
What Do Liberal Studies (Elementary Education) Majors Do?
Majors learn to synthesize subject content in the liberal arts, apply professional content to classroom teaching, and review and analyze educational policies. They learn to apply reading, writing, and research skills, develop pedagogical skills, analyze academic theories, and apply theory to practice. Students also learn to understand and reflect on the complex, rich, and diverse needs of students. Liberal Studies majors develop dispositions for sustained success in teaching and learning across diverse contexts.
Is This Major Right For You?
You might be a Liberal Studies (Elementary Education) major if you:
- Want to be an elementary grades educator
- Are passionate about help children learn
- Want to play a vital role in shaping society
- Have diverse intellectual interests
About Our Faculty & Staff
Liberal Studies students take courses across various disciplines and colleges within the university including Education, Math, Science, English, History, Psychology and the Arts. All courses are taught by accomplished faculty who are experts in their fields. Students are encouraged, when planning their program of study, to meet with their advisor in the Center for Undergraduate Teacher Preparation (CUTP) who helps them navigate through the Liberal Studies program requirements.
About Our Students and Graduates
Our students are encouraged, when planning their curriculum to meet with the academic coordinator at the Center for Undergraduate Teacher Preparation (CUTP). The academic coordinator helps students navigate through the Liberal Studies program requirements. Nearly all students successfully test while still in school for their preferred teaching credential. Other students elect to seek a master’s degree at another institution and take their credential test later.
Liberal Studies students take specific courses to fulfill requirements for their core curriculum, their major, their teaching credential and their area of concentration. Majors take advanced courses in a variety of academic disciplines to prepare them for teaching multiple subjects to their elementary grade students.
Courses include but are not limited to:
- Creative Dance for Children
- Children's Literature
- Developmental Psychology
- History of California
- Mathematics for Elementary Teachers
- Experimenting in Science
- Social-cultural Analysis of Education
- Educational Psychology for the Childhood and Adolescent Years
- Elementary Curriculum and Methods
- Second Language Acquisition
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Student with Exceptional Needs
- Elementary Directed Teaching (student teaching)
More Resources (Links)


The Role of Fathers in Their Child's Literacy Development: Pre-K
By: Reading Rockets
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Dads play a critical role in their children's literacy development — by modeling reading, sharing stories, exploring the world together, and engaging in meaningful conversations that build critical thinking skills.
What should I read?
Children will respond to your enthusiasm. You can select nonfiction — books about famous people, places, or how things work, or fiction. The important part is that you are enthusiastic about the book. Stop by the children's room at your local library for more ideas.
What if I'm not with my child every day?
If you don't see your child each day, try arranging a regular time to read books over the phone, or create your own podcast! Your child will look forward to this individual time with you, and you will also be modeling behavior that will keep your child on a path toward learning.
What if I don't like reading?
- Tell stories about when you were young
- Recite nursery rhymes or jingles
- Read environmental print (e.g., road signs or brand names on food containers)
- Ask your child about his day. Conversation with adults helps children learn new words and practice creating a narrative — both linked to better reading skills.
- Check out books of photography or art and talk about the pictures
- When you are doing household projects, describe what you are doing to your child
- Involve your child in everyday writing tasks like shopping lists or paying bills
- Create games that use letters, words, or problem solving
Use the language you are most comfortable speaking! Reading skills transfer between languages, and you will be better at playing with words and language in your native tongue.
Walk the walk
Your child learns from what you do. Make sure the messages you are sending about reading reinforce that knowledge and literacy are valuable, achievable, and powerful.
*To view this file, you will need a copy of Acrobat Reader. If it is not already installed on your computer, click here to download.
Reading Rockets (2008)


Music has been widely acknowledged as one of the essential components in early childhood education. Researchers have referred to several positive impacts of music on young children's development, including the enhancement of emotional well-being (Boston, 2000; Neelly, 2001), neurological development (Balaban, Anderson, & Wisniewski, 1998; Campbell, 1997; Pantev, Oostenveld, Engelien, Ross, Roberts, & Hoek, 1998), and enjoyment of learning (Moravcik, 2000; Simons, 1978). Snyder (1997) also highlighted that education without music is incomplete and indefensible. Indeed, music has been consistently included in many countries' preschool curriculum as a fundamental art form for young children. These countries include Hong Kong (Education and Manpower Bureau HKSAR, 2006), Australia (Department of Education Training and Employment, 2001), United Kingdom (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority QCA, 2000) and Singapore (Ministry of Education, 2005). Moreover, in most early childhood teacher training programs, music has also been commonly embraced as part of the core subjects with other creative arts forms (Jacobs, 2001; Lobman, Ryan, McLaughlin, & Ackerman, 2004). Hence, early childhood teachers are generally expected to integrate music into their programs to enhance children's holistic development.
The majority of early childhood teachers, however, are not educated and/or trained as specialist music teachers but rather as 'generalist' teachers whose teaching responsibilities cover all areas in their local curriculum. Some researchers therefore raised their concerns about these non-music specialist teachers' possible lack of confidence in conducting musical activities with children. Mills (1989; 1995/6) and Russell-Bowie (1993), for example, indicated that approximately 60 to 70 per cent of primary teacher education students entered their primary teacher training having minimal, if any, formal music education experiences and consequently having lower levels of confidence to conduct musical activities. Also, Hennessy's qualitative study (2000) indicated that pre-service primary teachers declared music as the subject in which they had the least confidence. Similarly, Holden and Button (2006) asked a sample of 141 British in-service teachers to indicate their levels of confidence to teach 10 national curriculum subjects, including music. Both quantitative and qualitative results showed that music was given the lowest ranking of confidence by generalist teachers. Within early childhood education, researchers also consistently raised their concerns of teachers' insufficient confidence in conducting musical activities for young children (Dees, 2004; Richards, 1999).
Researchers also found that generalist teachers' insufficient levels of confidence may lead to negative music educational outcomes. Bresler (1993), for example, found that generalist classroom teachers often do not have sufficient confidence to use music regularly. Giles and Frego (2004) have shown that they are unable to apply material learned in their music methods course to the elementary classroom. Even though some researchers (Glover & Ward, 1993; Tillman, 1988) tried to argue that teachers' own musical skills as well as their general teaching abilities could basically be sufficient to enable children to learn music, the majority of research in the field still tended to suggest that teachers' confidence levels could be one of the important factors for achieving high quality music educational outcomes (Kim, 2001; Lawson, Plummeridge, & Swanwick, 1994; Mills, 1989, 1995/6; Rainbow, 1996; Russell-Bowie, 1993, 2004; Sanders & Browne, 1998).
Besides the confidence levels, teachers' levels of happiness in conducting musical activities could also be another influential factor of their educational outcomes. Happiness was referred to as a predominance of positive over negative affect, and a satisfaction with life as a whole (Argyle, Martin, & Crossland, 1989; Diener, 1984, 2000). …


Gustav Klimt included colorful shapes in his magical paintings, along with areas of shining gold and silver. Your child can create a beautiful collage in the style of Klimt using some silver and gold paper, along with some bits and pieces of construction paper!
What You Need:
- Scrap construction paper
- 1 8"x10" sheet of silver paper
- 1 8"x10" sheet of gold paper
- White drawing paper
What You Do:
- Start by looking at artwork by Gustav Klimt by either visiting your local library or looking online with your child. One of Klimt’s most famous works is The Kiss, showcasing a couple kissing amidst a collection of shimmering shapes, which was part of Klimt’s classic Art Nouveau style.
- Invite your child to gather bits and pieces of construction paper to reuse for this exciting art activity. Not only is it a fun project, but also a way to use up all those scraps!
- Offer your child a pair of scissors and encourage him to cut as many squares as he can out of the construction paper as well as the sheets of gold and silver paper. Klimt’s artwork seemed to glow from his use of shimmering paints! He can cut small squares, around ½ inch in diameter and up to 2 inches square.
- Once he’s got a good collection of squares, invite your child to begin gluing his colorful squares onto a sheet of white paper. He can position them in a linear, or straight, design and in either a pattern or random design.
- After he’s created several rows of squares, invite your child to fill any gaps with additional squares until he satisfied with his shining Klimt inspired creation.
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Teachers are integrating Smart Board technology into all facets of the classroom and there is a content search for more ready-made Notebooks and devices that are compatible with this hardware and software. This isn't a complete list, however please feel free to contact me at any time to add something new to this list. Many more websites and activities can be found by entering "Smart Board" into your search engine.
BrainPOP Flash Movies BrainPOP produces educational animated movies for grades K–12. The movies present concepts in a narrative and visual style that is accessible and entertaining to both children and adults
Concept Mapping Software: SMART Ideas software lesson activities Connect with your students! Curriculum-based examples showcase how teachers and students connect ideas, organize concepts and plan projects. Ideas and their relationships are represented in a clear, graphical way using SMART Ideas concept-mapping software.
SMARTer Kids Foundation
The SMARTer Kids Foundation is a private organization that provides opportunities for students and teachers to learn new skills and grow in self-confidence by placing technology, Grants and programs at their service. The Foundation helps equip classrooms with technology products and generates practical research on the impact and effectiveness of technology in the classroom. The challenges and opportunities that teachers and students face in accessing and using technology drive us to ensure our efforts make a difference in education.
Notebook Collections Mathematics Prepared Notebooks that are ready to use with Smart Board software.Filter list by sub-category:
Currency Number concepts and operations Patterns and relations
Shapes Space and measure Statistics and probability
Paper Backgrounds and Tools Symbols
Shape Explorer This applet allow the user to test his or her skill at calculating the area and perimeter of a given figure. The user is given a random figure and allowed to enter a value for the area and perimeter. The applet then informs the user whether or not the values are correct. The user may continue guessing until the answers are correct.
Area Explorer This activity allows the user to test his or her skill at calculating the area of a random shape. The user is given a random figure and allowed to enter a value for the area. The applet then informs the user whether or not the answer is correct. The user may continue trying until the answer is correct.
What is the Arithmetic Quiz Activity? This activity allows a student to practice his or her arithmetic with whole numbers and integers. The student can choose to answer problems involving whole number and integer addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The student can also choose the difficulty level and the amount of time available to solve each problem.
What is the Maze Game Activity? This activity allows the user to practice their point plotting skills by having them move a robot through a mine field to a target location. Moves are accomplished by specifying the coordinates of the new location. In order to win, the path must not cross a mine.
What's New Interactive for Math Interactivate is always changing to meet the needs of its users. Whether it is adding more activities or putting in more features for better navigaton in the site, we're always striving to make the site more useful, educational, and user friendly.
Project Interactivate The materials for project interactivate fall into three main categories: activities, discussions, and lessons. There are additional support materials in the form of an overview of the goals of the project, a dictionary, standards for middle school mathematics, and hyperlinked tables of contents for several middle school math texts.
Finale Notepad Music Notation Software Finale Notepad Music Notation Software
Finale Notepad 2005 software is a free music education application from MakeMusic! Inc. When used with a SMART Board interactive whiteboard, this software brings students to the front of the class to experiment with and control their music. Students can
* Compose, print and play music
* Choose instruments or voices to perform music
* Select musical notations and arrange them on music sheets
* Print musical scores
* Publish scores on the Web
* Enter lyrics to go with your music
Number Cruncher Software download and guide Number Cruncher software is a free application to help students improve their arithmetic skills. Specifically created for the interactive capabilities of SMART Board interactive whiteboards, this software helps make learning fun and engaging. Teachers can
* Choose addition, subtraction, multiplication or division questions
* Set the level of difficulty
* Get automatic feedback on students’ answers
* Incorporate fractions and decimals for more advanced learning
* Enable students to use interactive images to find the correct answer
Speller Software Download Speller software 2.0 is a free application to help students improve their literacy skills. Specifically created for the interactive capabilities of SMART Board interactive whiteboards, this software helps make learning fun and engaging. Students and teachers can


The cost of electricity can be one of the priciest parts of homeownership — aside from the mortgage —which is something solar panels can help reduce.
Sierra College mathematics faculty members, along with Grid Alternatives, installed solar panels on two Habitat for Humanity homes earlier this month to relieve energy costs using sustainable methods and also gain hands-on experience that can be transferred to the classroom.
Solar panels were installed on Jody Veerkamp-Johnson’s home on Slate Creek Road three months ago with Grid Alternatives and volunteers from natural foods store UNFI.
Veerkamp-Johnson was able to not only reduce her electric bill, but eliminate it altogether.
“The first month, the bill dropped almost half and the second month I had no electricity bill,” she said, adding that her two teenagers also moved out shortly after installation, which helped reduce the bill.
“It’s helped tremendously. Things keep going up and we’re all making the same wages, so it’s been a lifesaving gift to us.”
Sierra College Nevada County campus professor Vicki Day, Truckee-Tahoe campus instructor Jaqueline Anderson and Rocklin campus professors Katie Lucero and Jay Kesler volunteered in collaboration with Grid Alternatives, a nonprofit organization that provides solar panels to low-income families in need at little to no cost.
“It was really successful for both organizations,” said Erin Morrissey, project specialist at Grid Alternatives.
“Everybody had a really great time, our guys got to go out and get feedback from the professors, and they got a lot of practical information. Hopefully, it’s the start of a nice relationship.”
The faculty members were able to lend a hand while learning ways to bring real-life situations to their classrooms, said Day.
Throughout her 22 years of teaching mathematics, students time and again ask when they will actually use their math skills, which Day was able to illustrate with the solar panel project.
“I can show them pictures and the mathematics involved with trying to figure out derating (a calculation based on factors that reduce energy absorption, like shade or dusty panels) so the panels can sustain as much energy as possible,” Day said.
“Students can do technical skills, basic math problem-solving, so we’re really excited to have this opportunity.”
Day said problem-solving skills can be demonstrated for pre-algebra or basic arithmetic students in figuring out how many rows of panels can be put into an area with a certain length without wasting any of the materials.
This can be represented using straws, which particularly helps kinesthetic learners.
Trigonometry students can also learn about angles by figuring out what position the panels need to be in to absorb the most energy while also taking into consideration the latitude, global position and seasons that affect the direction of the sun in Nevada County.
“Students learn angles, roof pitches, and you can get formulas and students can learn how to do technical reading from a manual and make calculations and learn how to plug in numbers,” Day said.
The faculty participation in the externship was supported by the Sierra College STEM Collaborative, a program funded by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, to support students interested in technical careers.
“I enjoy how innovative our department is about being aggressive about finding ways to help students, so I’m very fortunate,” Day said.
For information about the Sierra College STEM Collaborative, visit http://sierraschoolworks.com/ and http://www.gridalternatives.org/#sthash.vDcs3S6O.dpuf for information about Grid Alternatives.
To contact Staff Writer Jennifer Terman, email firstname.lastname@example.org or call 530-477-4230.
“… our guys got to go out and get feedback from the professors, and they got a lot of practical information. Hopefully, it’s the start of a nice relationship.”


Forster, William Edward, 1818–86, British statesman. He entered Parliament as a Liberal in 1861. As vice president of the council in William Gladstone's first ministry (1868–74), he introduced the Elementary Education Act (1870), which provided aid for existing schools, established supplementary nondenominational "board schools," and was the foundation for the English system of national compulsory education. In 1880 he went unwillingly to Ireland as chief secretary, but his opposition to Charles Parnell and his stern enforcement of the law made him so unpopular that attempts were made on his life. He resigned in 1882.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.


Health, Physical Education And Recreation | Movement Performance of the Exceptional Child (3 cr)
K551 | 6516 | Staff
A graduate course designed to provide students with a thorough understanding
of the factors that contribute to the motor behavior characteristics of
children with developmental disabilities. The emphasis will be placed on
developmental and empirical literature to derive instructional models for
this population. Application of this knowledge to planning, assessing,
prescribing, and evaluating physical activity programs will be made.
Instructional strategies related to applied behavior analysis will be
presented for educating young children with development disabilities.
GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Demonstrate knowledge of basic theories of development.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the motor behavior characteristics associated
with developmental disabilities.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of factors that contribute to atypical motor
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the diagnostic-prescriptive approach to
delivering quality physical education services.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles and procedures for
physical activity programs for children with severe developmental
6. Demonstrate knowledge of applied behavior analysis strategies to
facilitate acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of motor
7. Demonstrate knowledge of the best practices to promote integration of
children with disabilities into regular programs.
Wolery, M., Bailey, D.B., & Sugai, G.M. (1988). Effective Teaching:
Principles and Procedures of Applied Behavior Analysis with Exceptional
Block, M. (1994). A Teacher's Guide to Including Students with Disabilities
in Regular Physical Education.
1. Exam I (35%)
2. Exam II (25%)
3. Term Project (30%)
4. Class Participation (10%)
TERM PROJECT (Due December 1)
Students will develop, implement, and evaluate a motor skill development
program employing the Achievement-Based Curriculum (ABC) model with students
with a disability. The project will require completion of the following 5
1. Develop a program plan including three functional, age-appropriate
for at least one student. As part of this component, students should
present a rationale for why a specific skill was chosen as functional.
2. Complete an assessment of current level of performance on the three
for one student and write a statement of current level of performance.
3. Develop a prescriptive plan including three instructional objectives for
one student. The plan should include a minimum of three lesson plans
detailing the specific activities, drills, and games that will be
help the child acquire the three instructional objectives. Specific
management procedures should be presented as part of the plan.
4. Implement the prescriptive plan (e.g. teach) and self-evaluate the
weaknesses of your teaching.
5. Evaluate student progress on the three skills and determine what
decisions should be made based on the results. This component requires
the current level of performance of the three skills be updated.
Projects will be graded on the following 100 point system:
Planning 20 pts
Assessment 25 pts
Prescription 25 pts
Teaching 10 pts
Evaluation 20 pts
Final grades will be based on the total accumulated points, out of 100,
based on the individual weight of each assignment and calculated on the
A 94 - 100 B- 79 - 81.5
A- 90 - 93.5 C+ 76 - 78.5
B+ 86 - 89.5 C 72 - 75.5
B 82 - 85.5


With the emergence of Google Glass onto the gadget scene, tech-lovers everywhere are itching to get their hands on the famous eyewear. The most surprising place these tech tools are showing up? The classroom.
Professors and teachers across the country are turning to Google Glass, using the device to educate students and inspire learning innovation. Here are four of our favorite ways classrooms like yours are carving a space for Google Glass in the curriculum.
1. Google Glass Helps Students Learn About Tech, Entrepreneurship, and Social Media – Kristen Hicks
Syracuse University professor Bill Ward was one of the first thousand people to receive Google Glass after the product’s release, and wanted to give his students the same access. Ward encouraged students to develop app ideas for the device after experimenting with existing apps, and formed student groups to work on developing a business and social media plan around their design. Ward’s students gained valuable entrepreneurial skills, experience with social media campaigns, and exposure to one of the world’s most cutting-edge technologies.
For USC journalism professor Robert Hernandez, Google Glass offers the opportunity for new ways to interact with and develop content for students. Between photo and video capabilities, GPS tools, and recording options, journalism students are afforded a helpful device to partner with for stories, assignments, and daily projects. For Hernandez, the appeal of Glass is less about changing what’s possible, and more about making what’s already possible much more simple.
Cornell music professor Cynthia Johnston Turner was excited about the release of Google Glass for one reason: changing the face of music education. To get her hands on the elusive device, Turner rallied around the hashtag #IfIHadGlass, which helped her outline how Google Glass would positively impact her music curriculum. Her strategy worked, and her classroom has seen innovation, creativity, and some beautiful music since.
For health professors Stephen Intille and Rupal Patel, Google Glass presented an obvious opportunity for their tech-oriented field. With the device, Intille and Patel presented a challenge to their students: how can Google Glass help provide new, creative solutions to health-care problems? Students rallied around the assignment and tackled problems as diverse as autism, Parkinson’s disease, and various learning disabilities.


- Posted July 9, 2014 by
This iReport is part of an assignment:
My American Dream is …
How To Become A musician
My best advice is to keep learning about music - and to make your dreams known to your parents and others. Start small, it is not an easy process to learn to play an instrument and to sing. Otherwise everybody would be doing it! You will need to be patient, and practice often. Also, practice often! Ask for an inexpensive acoustic guitar for a birthday or holiday - and learn a few songs to start. There are plenty of videos and pages online teaching you basic technique and how to play famous songs. If you are still liking it by that time - consider paying for weekly lessons.
You shouldn't worry too much about how people will react to it - just be yourself. (This is certainly easier said than done, and many artists struggle with it) If your mother thought that you were joking it was probably only because it was the first time you have mentioned it. Keep it up, and she'll begin to take you seriously.
If you listen to the radio - sing along! Don't be afraid of what others think of it, and don't be ashamed to sing in front of other people. In fact, this was the most difficult thing for me to do while I was learning. It can be very difficult to get in front of people and perform - but you have to swallow your pride, close your eyes, and just do it.
If you are certain that you would like to become a musician, have you considered going to school for music? There are many highschool and college level programs that are meant specifically for music education. You could have a performance major (for singing) or a more general musical education background that you can apply to your dreams in whichever way you like.
As a singer, you will need to master the major scale first - it is the basis for most pop music, such as that of Justin Beiber. If you haven't heard of this scale, look it up, listen to it, and learn to sing it by memory. Many people know this scale without knowing its name. If you know the song Click here 'Do-Re Mi' from the Sound of Music, then you know the major scale.
Technique will come with practice, and you will need to practice a lot to become a professional singer. Be aware of the commitment, be patient, and don't worry about what others think! Good luck!
If researchers believe that there has been an increase in the Indian entertainment industry than ever before, then they are right. If a person wants to know about all the happenings taking place in the entertainment industry, then various websites can be visited. There are various web portals that are bombarded with entertainment news, celebrity news stories, news about entertainment in India, funny news, celebrity news and various others Click for latest news. Some websites also provide company news and finance news. In fact, the definition of entertainment news is information that concerns the current happenings and current events. This is especially reported by radio, periodicals, newspapers, television and newspapers http://www.bbc.com/news/.


Occupational therapy helps children achieve independence in all areas of their lives. It helps improve their cognitive, physical and motor skills and enhances their self esteem.
Fine motor skills are the basis for the preparation of the hand and are not only essential for handwriting but a necessity for daily living.
These skills are needed for writing, colouring, cutting, painting, playing with small objects, computer use and for self care activities such as tying shoelaces, dressing, doing buttons and zips and using a knife and fork. They are integral to a child’s development. Children who struggle with any of these activities often feel frustrated and their self esteem suffers.
Please view the navigation list for some exercises to help fine motor skill development


I want to thank Jill for graciously inviting me to write a guest post for her website today. I’m excited to share my music education experiences with all of you, and I hope this post gives you some ideas to supplement your own music lessons at home!
As a music teacher, I helped students develop music literacy while experiencing the natural joy that comes from learning and playing music. Today, I’ll be focusing on a few ideas that may help to expand your students’ natural love of music. Whether you are loyal to a specific music pedagogy or not, these ideas can supplement any well-rounded music curriculum.
Live music is an amazing experience that can’t be replicated with a radio or ipod. Live music gives children a chance to be surrounded by the music, see the musicians’ skills in action, and practice proper concert etiquette. Seeing a small, local concert or recital also gives children the chance to meet the musicians, an opportunity that wouldn’t be available at a large-scale venue.
I took a course in college called World Music, which forever changed the way I listened to music from other cultures. It expanded my worldview along with my musical tastes. Encourage your children to listen to music from all around the world. You could organize a “Music Around the World” day, in which children experience the tastes, sounds, and traditions of other countries.
Consider combining an art and music lesson by helping children create their own musical instruments. Check out some of these DIY ideas from Pinterest. Science, math, and history are also great subjects in which to incorporate music. My students always enjoyed my “science of sound” lesson. I would fill glasses with varying amounts of water and then tap them with a spoon to show how the sound of each glass differed depending on the amount of water it held. You could even add food coloring to distinguish each tone. Once you start weaving musical concepts into other lessons, the possibilities are endless.
Music teachers, like myself, are eager to share our knowledge and help children experience music in a way that builds music literacy. Consider reaching out to a local music teacher for guidance. You may be surprised by how much they are willing to share, in both curriculum and resources.
Music has become background noise in many of our daily activities. We hear music while grocery shopping, eating at restaurants, and even while driving the car. That’s why it’s so important for us to teach children how to actively listen to music. Super Quiet Un-Interrupted Listening Time (SQUILT) is a quick and easy way to incorporate active listening into your daily routine. I’ve created a few printables to help you get started. Click on the picture below to download your own SQUILT worksheets from my store, complete with instructions for use.


(*See “Teacher Certification” section, for EDU course descriptions)
RDG 509 Psychology of Literacy Development 3 hours
This course describes the variables and the behaviors involved in reading and learning to read; it investigates task and milieu conditions which facilitate reading skill acquisition; and examines teaching strategies in relation to research findings.
RDG 519 Language and Cognitive Development 3 hours
This course explores theories of language and cognitive development; language growth; significance of home, culture and early school environment; relationship of linguistics to reading and speaking processes; readiness and implementation for beginning reader; procedures for teaching bilingual children.
RDG 557 Methods for Teaching Intermediate and Secondary Reading 3 hours
This course specifically addresses adapting content instruction to meet the needs of intermediate and secondary school students with reading problems; analyzes the variations in vocabulary, format, comprehension, and study procedures in various content areas; presents teaching strategies for improving basic reading skills, content reading and writing proficiency of all students; and explores strategies for supporting literacy instruction across the curriculum.
RDG 559 Literature Based Approaches to Reading Instruction 3 hours
This course examines the history, description, rationale, and criteria for selection and evaluation of classic, contemporary, and culturally diverse literature for children and young adults. This course also presents specific strategies for using culturally conscious literature in literature based reading instruction, and explores a variety of strategies to foster literacy development and promote an enjoyment of literature.
RDG 564 Methods in Elementary Reading and Other Language Arts 3 hours
This course presents criteria and procedures for reading, writing, listening, viewing, and speaking processes, and examines teaching strategies and materials which are consonant with human growth and development. This course also discusses research and management of classroom reading programs, grades K-8.
RDG 567 The Writing Process in Literacy Development 3 hours
This course presents theories of how to teach writing skills and examines the connection between reading and writing performance in literacy development. This course also explores and examines skills that support writing processes and identifies effective strategies for cross-curricular integration of creative and informational writing.
RDG 609 Diagnostic Techniques in Reading Instruction 3 hours
This course examines identification of reading disabilities and possible causative factors through the use of formal and informal tests and case study methods. This course also develops a comprehensive testing vocabulary in order to administer, interpret, and evaluate tests.
RDG 619 Prescriptive Techniques for Reading Instruction 3 hours
This course examines the implementation of developmental and remedial reading programs, management systems, and classroom organization, grades K-8. This course also develops advanced skills in selecting, designing and evaluating strategies and materials for the teaching of specific objectives in reading; in prescribing and modifying for differentiated instruction; and in applying reading instruction to content areas.
RDG 639 Research in Reading and Curriculum Development 4 hours
This course provides opportunities for research that focuses on effective literacy instruction, and factors involved in successful curriculum development in school-wide reading programs. This course also covers techniques for formal and informal research. Students will design, conduct, and present a research project.
RDG 649 Seminar for Reading Specialists 3 hours
This course addresses reading consultant responsibilities, including: coordinating developmental and remedial programs, facilitating teacher and staff development, writing proposals, conducting workshops, and simulating interactions.
RDG 669 Clinical Practicum in Reading 4 hours
This course explores advanced diagnosis and remediation in a clinical setting, including: on-going assessment and modification of teaching strategies and conditions in relation to pupil performance and attitudes, and reporting of findings and recommendations to others. NOTE: Reading major endorsement requires that the student must work with elementary and secondary age pupils.
RDG 691 Independent Study: Issues in Literacy Development 1-3 hours
An explanation of Independent Study’s can be found in the “Academic Policies” section of this catalog.


In a 2008 Scientific American article, "Girl Talk: Are Women Really Better at Language?," reporter Nikhil Swaminthan explains the biological reason behind remarkable gender differences among those who study languages.
He describes a series of experiments in which both boys' and girls' brains were observed during language-related activities. The results indicated that "girls completing a linguistic abilities task showed greater activity in brain areas implicated specifically in language encoding," an area involved in decoding abstract information.
During these same exercises, boys' brain activity depended upon the way in which a word was presented. For instance, if a word was expressed verbally, the auditory portion of the brain was activated; if a written word was presented for review, the boys' visually active brain areas showed activity.
Brain science and gender are highly tentative, of course, so I'm not raising these findings to say women or men are necessarily hardwired to be better or worse than each other at anything.
I'm raising them so girls and women who are interested in the male-dominated field of computer science know about this demonstrated female ability to manipulate and decode abstract information, such as a language. That knowledge might help them feel just as capable of mastering COBOL or C++ as Spanish or French.
But do girls and women really need this kind of cheering? Katie Hafner's April 2 article in The New York Times, "Giving Women the Access Code," suggests they do. She reports that female computer science college graduates have fallen to 22 percent this past year, from 37 percent in 1985.
Women are still scarce overall in the higher-paying jobs in the STEM fields--science, technology, engineering and math.
Explanations for this disparity--even as women have wholeheartedly embraced the resulting technology in the form of MP3 players, cell phones, smartphones and laptop computers--have to do predominantly with the continuing strength of subconscious gender bias.
In a collaborative series with PBS and Scientific American, journalist Jenny Marder explored the findings of studies by Madeline Heilman, who researches psychology and gender. Those findings underscore the continuing strength of gender stereotypes to deter women with demonstrated mastery of scientific subject matter from choosing college majors and future careers related to those academic strengths.
Our unspoken and disproven gender stereotypes that men are the more rational and logical creatures best suited for computer science stay with every female freshman who enrolls in elementary education despite straight As in advanced-placement high school science classes, Marder concludes.
Women are over-represented in the study of languages, including ancient languages, some of which are now unspoken.
Studies of those who communicate via American Sign Language have found that language is language whatever its mode of expression. So the only reason for women to be steering clear of coding is the likelihood that many, at some point along the way, internalize stereotypes about technology being the domain of men.
Perhaps if coding or computer programming were included under the foreign languages section of college courses, more young women would enroll and wind up pursuing careers in technology.
Lindsey Harper Mac is a professional writer living in the Indianapolis area. She specializes in writing guest posts on social media and education on behalf of Colorado Technical University. She's currently completing her master's degree.
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If you remember Algebra as that daunting class in junior high that the “advanced” students took, you may be surprised to learn that children now begin studying algebra as early as kindergarten. Algebra is essentially the study of patterns, relationships, and variables. As soon as a child asks, “How many crackers can we each have for snack today, Mom?” or “How many more minutes of TV time left?” she is doing algebra.
In late elementary school, algebra goes from being an underlying element in math work to a main element in class. But algebra is still all around us, from the data in the news to real life situations such as shopping and sports. Here are three activities you can do at home and around town to bring algebra into your daily lives:
What You Do:
Shop Till You Drop
Take your child grocery shopping and make them do the hard work! Armed with a calculator, pencil and paper, a shopping list and a budget, challenge him to select the groceries and keep within the total cost limit. He can also calculate the savings on various sale items. If he manages to keep your bill below the budget, the surplus can go towards a favorite treat!
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
The next time your child has to sit through a sibling’s ball game, bring along a calculator and a pencil and paper. Use the narrative of the game to create engaging word stories with various unknowns for your child to solve. For example, “If Maya scores six points in each quarter, how many points will she make for the entire game?” Or “The Bluejays are down by ten. How many baskets do they need to make in order to win? What if the Cardinals score two more three-pointers?” Have your child create the questions for you. Writing out the equations using variables will connect the real life situations to the abstract representations.
A Graph a Day
Each morning scour the newspaper for graphs and charts. The weather page, the sports section and the business section are good places to look, but they can be anywhere. Read the graph together, describe each axis and discuss the meaning. The more your child has exposure to graphs in a real-world setting, the more relevant the graphs in algebra will be.
Jes Ellis has a BA in American Civilization from Brown University and a Masters in Elementary Education from Smith College. She has taught for over five years in Central America, Central Africa and Central New Hampshire. She currently teaches in Concord, NH where she lives with her husband and two young children.


The Improving and Maximizing Professional Development and Achievement Through Child Care Trainings (IMPACT) Project was developed by Jackson State University’s College of Lifelong Learning. The College of Lifelong Learning established the IMPACT project in
2008 to provide state approved training on the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines–giving priority to childcare providers in the piloted areas. The purpose of this project is to promote “Ready to Learn” . . . “Quality Early Childhood Education and Care” through quality training and evaluation activities that will have a measurable and observable impact on improving/enhancing the quality of care for children in licensed and/or unlicensed childcare setting. These training activities are designed to enhance as well as develop professional skills of caregivers and/or improve parents’ knowledge of early childhood development.
The IMPACT project will build childcare educators/provider’s knowledge on the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines in the areas of language, vocabulary, and literacy development; mathematical concepts development; scientific investigation; social/emotional development; and physical development. Childcare teachers and providers will learn specific strategies to improve children’s academic learning to prepare them for upper school environments. This project will also teach childcare providers how to assess, create, and implement the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines into their classrooms. This project will also work with center directors to learn strategies to motivate their teacher to appropriately implement the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines into daily learning activities.
“CLICK HERE” to view the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines Training Schedule
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