Everybody's Talking About Creativity - But Why Do We Need It in the Classroom?
“Many of us enter school as question marks and leave as periods. Why do we squash creativity?”
The question was the focus for a panel of experts that highlighted “Creativity, Imagination and Innovation,” a two-day symposium held at TC in April under the aegis of the College’s Department of Arts and Humanities. Co-chaired by faculty members Margaret Crocco (Social Studies and Education) and Lori Custodero (Music Education), the event included readings by poets from the Nuyorican Poets Café and an evening of experiential workshops in Creativity and the Imagination.
Moderated by Ron Gross, co-chair of the University Seminar on Innovation in Education at Columbia University, the experts’ panel sought both to outline creativity’s role in the classroom and locate its wellspring.
For Michael Hanson, TC faculty member and Director of a Creativity Degree Program at the College, creativity “helps prepare citizens to engage in their world.”
Keith Sawyer, Associate Professor of Psychology at Washington University, defined the outcome of creativity as something that is “new and useful that gets judged as being valuable.”
Xiaodong Lin, Associate Professor of Math, Science and Technology, saw creativity as indispensable to producing results. “At companies like Intel, if they don’t put out something new every three months, they fall behind. Future students face an unpredictable and confusing job market. Much will depend on how creative you are.”
Custodero pointed out the “childlike sense of wonder” that fuels creativity, emphasizing the need to keep an attitude of exploration and discovery alive during the process. “Adults have to deal with self-doubt and judgment,” she said. “As adults, we can draw upon our harmonic beginnings as children and them inform what we do.”
For Beth Hennessey, Professor, Psychology, Wellesley College, motivation and creativity are inseparable. “Students must approach task for the sheer pleasure of engaging in the task,” she said, yet acknowledge the need to balance
excitingly wild flashes of inspiration with the kind of solid information base typically acquired from formal education. “To put all of those things together is an incredible challenge for educators,” she said.
For Michael Wesch, Associate Professor, Anthropology, Kansas State University, new media and the role of sites such as Twitter and Facebook, raise new questions about what it means to be creative in today’s society. “Now, we don’t find ourselves—we create ourselves and that’s the kind of environment I’m trying to create for my students.”
The practical side of creativity came under the microscope at an afternoon panel, “Flourishing in & Surviving the Creative Life,” moderated by Joan Jeffri, Program Coordinator and Director of TC’s Arts Administration Program. The panelists were all professional artists, it was evident that simply keeping afloat required prodigious energy. Yet it was clear that for those who had managed to do so, the act of working within and around practical limitations had, in itself, fostered.
Or as Maxine Greene, TC Professor Emeritus, put it, “Possibility is a wonderful notion—the definition of imagination is the capacity to think of things as being otherwise.”
Yet Greene did not minimize the very real dangers that confront the artist and all human beings. “We can’t comfort ourselves with certainty,” she said. “Anything is possible. We have to educate for crisis tragedy as well as open possibility.”
View the keynote address by Steven Berlin Johnson for Creativity, Imagination and Innovation symposium:


Report: Rural Pupils More Likely to Be in Special Education
Children in rural America are 60 percent more likely than their nonrural peers to be placed in special education programs in kindergarten, according to an analysis of 22,000 pupils that was sponsored by a research center at Mississippi State University.
There are also wide disparities in school readiness when rural children are evaluated by race, according to the report from the university’s National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives. About 8 percent of rural black children were proficient at identifying the beginning sounds of words, compared with 22 percent of nonrural black children. About 26 percent of rural white children had the letter-sound skill, compared with 40 percent of nonrural white children.
Early-education programs based in centers also appeared to be less available to rural children, compared with children in more densely populated areas. According to the analysis, 35 percent of rural white children and 14 percent of rural black children attended an early-education program in the year before kindergarten, compared with 37 percent of nonrural black children and 54 percent of nonrural whites.
The findings are just part of a series of reports to be released by the Mississippi State research program, said Cathy Grace, the director of the national center. The reports are intended to address a dearth of research into the lives of rural children, she said.
“Our hope is that we can get people to start to talk first and then move into action,” Ms. Grace said. The findings are scheduled to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the Fairfax, Va.-based Society of Prevention Research. Future analyses will focus on such topics as professional development of early-childhood teachers, parental mental health, and mental-health services for families.
The analysis, which examines children who entered kindergarten in the 1998-99 school year, draws on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics under the U.S. Department of Education. The longitudinal study has compiled details on those children for a wide range of family, school, community, and individual characteristics.
The National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives asked Child Trends, a Washington-based research organization, to compile the data for the analysis. For the analysis, the category “rural” was based on the U.S. Census Bureau definition, which includes places of fewer than 2,500 people outside urban areas, as well the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study’s definition that includes small towns of 25,000 or fewer residents.
Several positive aspects of rural life for young students appear in the analysis. Rural children are more likely than nonrural pupils to be in kindergarten classes of 15 or fewer children. They also are more likely to live in safe neighborhoods, and those with noncustodial or nonresident parents are more likely to stay in contact with them.
The analysis does not discuss causes for the disparities between rural and nonrural children. Ms. Grace suggested that rural children, who are more likely than nonrural children to be poor, may have parents who are working minimum-wage jobs and more than one job.
“They may have different people coming in and being the care providers,” she said. “The stability is not there.”
Such factors may play a part in rural children’s academic disadvantage when they start school, compared with their nonrural peers.
Bob Mooneyham, the executive director of the National Rural Education Association, an organization of teachers, administrators, and researchers that is based in Norman, Okla., said the report’s findings are not surprising.
“I wouldn’t take issue with that number at all,” Mr. Mooneyham said last week, referring to the figure that rural children are 60 percent more likely to be placed in special education when they start school. “It’s a poverty issue,” he said, “and it points to the need for the states and the federal government to start paying attention to the needs of rural children.”
Vol. 24, Issue 38, Page 12


« Back to Raising the Image
Get Outside Book Club for Preschoolers and their families
Dayton Metro LibraryGo to Website
Kathleen Moore, Early Literacy Specialist, firstname.lastname@example.org
This innovation addresses two important issues: 1.) Children are spending too many hours a week engaged in electronic entertainment and not going outside. The Public Health Department of-Dayton & Montgomery County reports that two-thirds of county adult residents are overweight or obese, while more than 500,000 children in the State of Ohio are currently overweight or obese. Studies show outdoor time helps children grow lean and strong, enhances their imaginations and attention spans, decreases aggression, and boosts classroom performance. 2.) Experiences and learning about the real world is an important aspect of literacy development. When children have limited experience with nature, imaginative outside play, and hands-on activities with real things, their listening and reading comprehension is adversely affected. Community awareness and parent education about this aspect of reading development is needed.
The Dayton area Five Rivers MetroParks and Dayton Metro Library offers a six week program in late summer/early fall for families of preschoolers or classrooms of preschoolers. It’s called The Get Outside Bookclub. Participants read six picture books about being outside to spark child interest and imagination. After reading each book, adults and children go outside and do an activity together related to the content of the book. Titles owned by the library are suggested and activities in the parks are promoted. The Early Literacy blog of the library features books to read with suggested activities. Both the parks and the library promote the bookclub. Special library storytimes follow the outdoor theme and special events are held in the parks. At the end of the bookclub preschoolers receive a small nature related prize.
Dayton Metro Library and Five Rivers MetroParks are positioned as collaborators providing opportunities to build literacy skills, knowledge of the world, stay healthy and develop stewards of the environment. Expenses incurred are shared by both agencies. During the first year 208 families finished the bookclub. Last year 254 families finished. Several events drew crowds of over one hundred people. Families tell us they love the program and look for it to continue.


New York, NY (PRWEB) February 04, 2013
Teaching children to read from an early age can be achieved through active parental involvement supplemented by game-like educational computer programs. Reading Eggs, the purveyor of a popular online reading program for children aged 3 to 13 has published the top 5 tips for how to teach reading.
Included among the suggested tips are active recommendations such as reading aloud frequently with your child to give them a vocal model of fluent reading of which they can try and emulate. Stylistic tips include making the process of learning to read fun and exciting because children learn most effectively when they are fully engaged and enjoying the learning experience.
Many of the tips focus on developing comprehension and writing skills and how to effectively supplement school learning with a fun online reading program, such as Reading Eggs, that provides online lessons and activities that are game-like in nature, infusing play with learning to keep children eager to learn.
About Reading Eggs
Developed by educators with over 25 years’ experience, Reading Eggs online lessons instruct children in the five areas crucial to literacy development – phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Reading Eggs focuses on a core reading curriculum of skills and strategies essential for sustained reading success and is suitable for children aged 3 through 13. Since launching in the United States and Canada in 2011, Reading Eggs has signed on more than 500,000 subscribers and presented more than 15 million lessons in North America.


::: recipe card collages
When the children from last year made their alien head gear, we gave them an instruction card of what they could attach to the base and how many of each they could use – a bit like a recipe.
We thought we would have some more maths fun with these children but with a slightly different focus.
We made a set of four math style ‘recipe cards’ and they chose which one they wanted to follow.
We provided the children with baskets so they could collect their bits and pieces …
and set out PVA glue and heavy cardboard for their pastings.
They could make any picture they liked and could add or pull it altogether with drawings.
Some children chose to replicate the recipe layout on the card …
while others followed the recipe to create their own ideas.
Then there were those who chose a ‘recipe card’ but did their own thing.
and some just … did their own thing!
As always though, their designs were unique and creative!
This one was a bit of a standout as this child invented his own recipe card! What an amazingly open ended math concept for children!?
This post has been added to the Teach Preschool Everyday Math in Preschool Linky. Be sure to pop on over and see how other preschoolers are developing early numeracy skills.


- Elementary Education
- Algebra and Algebraic Thinking Set - Grades 3-5
Algebra and Algebraic Thinking Set - Grades 3-5
Large View | View Related Items
For your Common Core curriculum.
Ease into algebra concepts with these fun and engaging readers! Each reader features high-interest nonfiction text, problem-solving activities, supporting graphics, highlighted content-area vocabulary, sidebars, photographs, graphs, glossary, and index. Based on the NCTM Math Standards. Set of 6 books includes The World of Trade, My Lemonade Stand/i>, Patterns Around Us, Patterns in Nature, It Started With Pizza, and Night Skies. 32 pages each.
Click here for downloadable PDF.


When Kostadinka “Kay” Papeskov picks up her daughters from Bester Elementary School she asks them how their school day went.
Then she often asks them more specific questions about school.
“If you just ask ‘How was your day at school?’ then you’re probably not going to get a good answer,” said Papeskov, of Hagerstown. So she asks what they wrote about, what they did in math, and gets them to talk about their favorite part of the day.
Going beyond the general question about their school day — to what was the best thing they did, the most important thing they learned, or what they did in science, English or math — lets children know that parents think school is important and reinforces their learning, said Clyde Harrell, director for curriculum and instruction for Washington County Public Schools.
The term “parental involvement” can be vague when noted during discussions or critiques about how individual schools or school systems are doing.
Papeskov, however, gets down to specifics.
At home she and her daughters go over the school work they bring home. She writes notes to her daughters’ teachers if she has a question about class work. She reinforces her children’s learning through conversations, educational games, activity books and reading together.
“Even if they don’t have homework, we want students to be reading a lot. (It’s) fundamental to learning at every level,” Harrell said.
Parents can volunteer to help small groups of children with reading and math in the classroom, support teachers by preparing material for class, help in the office with tasks that don’t involve confidential information such as answering phones and copying materials, said Jill Burkhart, director for elementary education.
They can help with parent organizations, such as PTAs and booster clubs, and serve on school-based committees, school system officials said.
Parents also are great classroom resources for career and college information, Burkhart said.
Papeskov volunteers at Bester, where one of the things she has assisted with is having students read their homework to her. She said she has seen the difference it makes when students’ parents are involved in their children’s education, in a healthy way.
Papeskov said she’s noticed children who do their own homework are better readers and understand sentence structure better than those whose homework is done by an older sibling or parent.
The purpose of homework is to reinforce what’s taught, to give children the opportunity to practice what they’re learning, Burkhart said.
“It’s not supposed to be an opportunity for the parent to do the homework for the child,” Burkhart said. Sometimes children didn’t grasp the concept in class and need additional support. Parents might need to review the concept with their child and do one or two problems with the child until he or she understands and can then practice on his or her own, Burkhart said.


In our classroom, we use our cell phones and other devices primarily in a literacy development fashion. I am a high school English teacher, and I find that many of my students feel more comfortable writing on their devices rather than using paper and a pen. From their devices, they can post their writing to our class blog for peer review and feedback.In terms of critical thinking, my students research extensively on the web and it is very convenient for them to pull out their phones to access our wireless network rather than going to a computer lab in the school. They can share the links to various sites via text messaging or Facebook in a timely and efficient manner. Many of my students communicate regularly in these mediums so it allows for the ubiquitous transmission of ideas into and out of the classroom.For the artists in my classroom, cell phones promote the expression of their thinking and learning. The students use the cameras on their phones to take photos for projects as well as to document the learning process for reflective writing pieces. Many students also use the cameras to take photos of our in-class work anchor charts and exemplars posted on the bulletin boards.Cell phones and other devices also help my students to stay organized. The students in my class use the calendar apps in their phones and can also access my Google Calendar to keep track of important dates. From their devices, they can also visit my website which houses our tasks for the day and digital copies of class assignments.


Creating a Musical Home Environment
Take these easy steps to include music your home in meaningful ways and into your daily routine.
What Music Should My Child Listen To?
From the Beatles hits to the Curious George theme song, all children love music. Browse through some helpful tips for creating and expanding an appropriate musical library for your child.
What’s the Right Age to Begin Music Lessons?
Don’t know if your child is ready for music lessons? Learn what experts have to say about the appropriate age for children to being music lessons.
Helping Your Child Choose an Instrument
Forcing a child to play an instrument rarely leads to the love of music making we expect. Consider these important components when helping your child choose the right instrument.
How to Motivate Your Child to Practice
If you hated being forced to practice an instrument, chances are your children will too. Discover ways to transform practicing from a chore into a rewarding activity for your kids.
The Benefits of Music Education
Research shows that learning the do-re-mis can help children excel in ways beyond the basic ABCs. Learn all the benefits of music education.
Boost Memory and Learning with Music
Find out how music can help your child retain information and enhance the learning process.
6 Secrets To Unlocking Your Child’s Talent
Find out how you can nurture your child’s talent with six strategies from Daniel Coyle, author of the “Talent Code.”


1400 Mill Creek Road, Gladwyne 2.18 acres with three historic buildings Class I Historic Resource on Lower Merion’s Historic Resource Inventory/Mill Creek National Register District
The land where the Barker Mill sits used to be part of the property of John Roberts, a Welsh Quaker. Roberts sold the land to J. Abraham Nippes in 1807 for the development of a gun-manufacturing mill that operated until 1865 and produced rifles that were used in the War of 1812. Several years later, William Booth bought the mill with his half-brother Thomas Barker. The Booth-Barker Mill was converted to a carpet yarn mill. In 1924, the mill was sold to the Barker family, who ran it until 1956.
The building had a number of uses since then, including a recording studio and office space. O’Neill Properties purchased the building in 2003 with plans to convert it to a condominium complex. While an approved development plan does exist, the project has not yet begun.
Perched on the banks of Mill Creek, Barker Mill is one of the last visual reminders of Lower Merion’s industrial past — Mill Creek alone once had more than 20 mill buildings along its banks. It is one of the few rifle mills extant in the United States, and was the longest functioning mill in the area. This, along with its location on the edge of Rolling Hill Park, lends itself to being an educational tool for adults and children alike to convey the physical, economic, and social transformations that have taken place over time in Lower Merion Township.
This year marks the sixth time that the Barker Mill has been listed on the Preservation WatchList. Though the property is a Lower Merion Township Class I Historic Resource and a contributing property to the National Register of Historic Places Mill Creek Historic District, it is still at risk for loss due to long-term vacancy and continued deterioration.
A revised development plan proposed by O’Neill Properties includes a reduction in the number of units and the possible use as rental units. O’Neill is currently looking for a development company to either purchase their approved development plan or become equity partners to make the plan come to fruition.
Like all of the properties on this year’s WatchList, Barker Mill must be re-imagined to honor the past of the site, while becoming vibrant and useful for a new group of people. A new use for the building would offer an opportunity to save a historic resource and add another layer to Lower Merion’s already rich and important history.
The Lower Merion Conservancy will continue to work with the developer and Realtors to find a sensitive purchaser. Through public programming events and elementary education programs we will advocate for its sensitive reuse.
The Conservancy held a tour and lecture at Barker Mill on June 5th. Led by Rutgers Professor Richard Demirjian, the event highlighted the rich history of the mill and America’s early economy. Read more about it here.


The sun is strong during the summer, and your child can stay cool and safe by making a fun paper bag sun hat! And, she’ll repurpose an old paper bag, learning more about how things created for one thing can be changed into something else!
What You Do:
- Start by inviting your child to find a brown paper grocery bag to repurpose for this fun art activity.
- Now she can begin by cutting the handles off the bag and turning it inside out so any writing is now on the inside of the bag.
- Invite your child to begin shaping the paper bag into a hat shape by folding and crumpling the paper bag. You can offer a helping hand by holding the bag on your child’s head and then using a length of string to create the perfect fit.
- Now your child can continue crumpling and folding the edges of the bag to create the perfect summer sun hat!
Did You Know: the first paper bag was patented in 1852 by a gentleman named Francis Wolle. The machine he created was the first of its kind, and gained popularity all over the world!
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Education Minister Hekia Parata is considering a return to basic arithmetic for primary school children in an attempt to lift New Zealand's faltering performance in maths.
New Zealand 9-year-olds finished last-equal in maths among peers in developed countries, in a survey published in December. Almost half could not add 218 and 191 in a test.
Officials analysing the results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) test found there were "significant proportions" of Year 5 children who could not add or subtract simple numbers.
The problem persisted into high school, where "there are still students who have difficulty with the very basics such as knowledge about whole numbers and decimals".
The findings are supported by a local study which found most older children at an Auckland primary school were unable to do basic arithmetic.
Year 5 students at Fairburn School in Otahuhu took more than seven seconds on average to answer each single-digit multiplication question from their times tables - such as 8x4 - and 12 seconds to answer each division question. Year 6 students, on the verge of intermediate school, took about six seconds on average for every multiplication question and 10 seconds for division.
Auckland educator Des Rainey, who did the research with teachers to test his home-made Kiwi Maths memorisation system, said the results came as a shock to the teachers and made him doubt his programme could work.
But after a year of practising multiplication and division on the Kiwi Maths grids for up to 10 minutes a day, the students more than doubled their speed.
Dr Rainey said these results were still too slow, but gave the students a chance to cope at high-school level with maths that would otherwise have been completely beyond them.
The former educational psychologist, 82, said the teachers were not to blame for the poor initial results as they succeeded as soon as they were given the right teaching methods.
"Teachers are scared off because they hate to be seen doing anything which smacks of rote learning ... That tends to put them off any sort of memorisation at all."
He said current maths ideology promoted understanding ahead of memorisation but children could not understand maths concepts if they had no knowledge to work with. "We've got to get the stuff into the kids' heads."
Ms Parata told the Weekend Herald she had asked Ministry of Education officials to talk to Dr Rainey about his methods and report to her on whether they could be used to improve teaching in other schools.
She described the TIMSS results as "extremely concerning", especially for a government that wanted to get more students into maths-centred professions such as information technology and engineering.
Education consultant Bob Garden, who co-ordinates the TIMSS survey in NZ, said he was pleased to hear Ms Parata was responding after years of inaction by successive governments and the education bureaucracy.
The former Ministry of Education research director said he believed the poor performance of New Zealand students in basic skills was a concern and Dr Rainey was right to push for a return to more traditional methods.
Auckland University mathematics lecturer Peter Hughes, who played a prominent part in introducing the changes criticised by Dr Rainey, said it was true that many students reached high school without numeracy skills and Dr Rainey's system would help them to learn their basic facts.
But he cautioned against any "back to basics" push that put huge emphasis on arithmetic at the expense of wider maths knowledge, such as geometry.
Mr Hughes said real numeracy was a combination of using the right strategy with instant recall of facts, such as knowing how to estimate the cost of an interest-rate percentage.
He dismissed worries that New Zealand children could no longer do long multiplication or division as irrelevant, as history had moved on.
"Would anyone really believe that being able to work out 45,438.5 x 65 is important? In the real world, calculators and computers are doing this rote work, leaving people, hopefully, to think, rather that spend time on tedious labour."


Community Learning Centers (CLCs)
Community Learning Centers are initiatives created by and mobilised from the community. Community people are responsible for maintaining and determining the activities of the CLC and as such a given CLC will offer a variety of activities related to many aspects of life in the community.
CLCs are places that providing lifelong learning opportunities to everyone in the community in order
- Empower them to become self-reliant
- Improve their quality of life
- Develop their community
CLCs can help mobilise and generate potential resources in the community to address pertinent issues such as the alleviation of poverty and improving the quality of life.
Because the CLC
alone cannot carry out all the activities needed in the community, it must work with community
groups concerned with development as well as get support from government organizations as well as non-government organizations (NGOs).
Finally, CLCs provide not only services but also help review, monitor and give feedback by documenting
the findings of the community development activities as a basis for planning future activities.
Multimedia Learning Centers
selected locations, the Global Literacy Project, Inc. will facilitate
the creation of Multimedia Learning Centers.
centers will be made up of a mixture of 5-15 Apple and PC computers
installed with basic word processing, spreadsheet and presentation
will also have access to several science, math and literacy development
often place Multimedia Learning Centers in public libraries
or public schools where maximum access is possible.
The GLP Five Step Program
- GLP donates five to fifteen computers to the local government ministry or NGO partner in the participating country.
- The recipient entity is responsible for maintaining and distributing the computers to local schools and community learning centers.
- GLP provides instructors to the recipient country to teach an intensive course to selected teachers of the schools/CLCs receiving the computers.
- Local instructors are taught how to operate the machines as well as educational strategies useful for teaching computer skills.
- The recipient entity establishes a computer education program at the schools/CLCs for the general public.
GLP Community Learning Centers are aimed towards working with community partners in order to achieve the following key objectives:
- To increase academic achievement of students in math and reading
- To provide students access to positive, enriching activities during out-of-school hours, helping them build personal, social and leadership skills
- To serve as a resource for parents and other community members to improve literacy skills, parenting skills, family well being and to develop computer technology skills
- To provide academic, social, and family support to students transitioning from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school and beyond
- To increase capacity of schools, staff, parents, students and community partners to plan, implement and sustain neighborhood based community learning center activities.


|LPN - Aide|
|RN - School Nurse|
Grade Level Description Job Location or School Name County Qualifications Salary Closing Date Comments Apply to Job URL County Contact Email Please note that jobs are posted by the county offices, not by the WVDE, and that participation is voluntary. If you are looking for jobs for a specific county or counties, check with their central office to make sure that they are participating. View information about the teaching profession on our statewide recruitment website.
1. Successful experience in teaching children to read and write.
2. Comprehensive knowledge about the content and methodology of literacy instruction in the areas of: phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, writing, and motivation to read.
3. Knowledge of the Support for Personalized Learning (SPL) Model.
4. Knowledge of the Common Core State Standards (Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives of WV) for English/Language Arts.
5. Experience in assessing student skills and knowledge in reading and writing, using a variety of formal and informal assessment tools.
6. Knowledge of and experience with using assessment results to guide instruction.
7. Knowledge of theory and practice of teaching writing as a process and product.
8. Experience and personal characteristics that predict success in working with and coaching professionals with varying levels of responsibility for literacy education and knowledge of literacy instruction.
1. Assume a leadership role in improving children’s chances for achieving their maximum literacy potential.
2. Work cooperatively with teachers and administrators.
3. Provide leadership in the development of literacy initiatives.
4. Research and develop strategies/plans for overcoming identified deficiencies.
5. Have a proactive orientation to resolving conflicts and problems.
6. Provide coaching/mentoring for teachers and administrators in the implementation of literacy initiatives to include: formal and informal discussions, coaching sessions, demonstration lessons with pre- and post- discussion/analysis, study groups, staff meetings, training sessions, and workshops.
7. Provide oversight and coordination of literacy screenings and assessments.
8. Collect and disseminate literacy assessment/screening results to appropriate personnel.
9. Maintain confidentiality of assessment results and personnel issues.
10. Design, coordinate, lead, and oversee professional development activities in the area of literacy.
11. Provide content knowledge and resources about teaching and learning literacy in the areas of: instructional strategies, assessment, interpretation of assessment results, classroom management, and practices that promote literacy.
12. Observe/monitor classroom instruction to ensure literacy plan is being implemented appropriately.
13. Participate in parent involvement activities.
14. Adhere to policies and procedures of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Barbour County Board of Education.
15. Assist educators in implementing the West Virginia Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives in the area of literacy.
16. Utilize research, best practices, and assessment data to assist teachers and administrators in making informed choices about curriculum, instruction, and instructional materials.
17. Ask for help and resources when needed.
18. Maintain paperwork and other documentation consistently, appropriately, and in a timely manner.
19. Collect and maintain documentation of trainings.
20. Disseminate assessment results to appropriate personnel.
21. Provide assessment trend data to appropriate personnel.
22. Exemplify collegial behavior and commitment to teamwork.
23. Keep abreast of current research-based literacy practices.
24. Obtain prior approval from your immediate supervisor before distributing written communication and other media.
25. Other duties as assigned.
Reports to: RESA 7 Executive Director or designee
RESA 7-Philippi Elementary School
Valid West Virginia Certificate Endorsed in Elementary Education
Masters Degree in Reading
Out of county applicants must successfully interview
Daily Rate as per Title I 1003(a) grant.
Employment Term – 80 Days for the 2013/2014 school year as scheduled by Director and/or Principal.
Application Deadline: August 5, 2013 by 4:00 pm
Send letter of application and resume to:
Director of Special Education
1201 N 15th Street
Clarksburg, WV 26301
Job Location or School Name
County Contact Email
Please note that jobs are posted by the county offices, not by the WVDE, and that participation is voluntary. If you are looking for jobs for a specific county or counties, check with their central office to make sure that they are participating.
View information about the teaching profession on our statewide recruitment website.


IRB agreement:Anneliese Mueller Worster, Ph.D. Assistant ProfessorIncrease Citizenship through Service Learning in Social Studies Methods Course 1. Summary, aims and purposes of project: This service learning project is being undertaken to investigate how service learning can be experientially taught as a useful teaching strategy in a social studies teaching methods course. The project engages elementary education teacher candidates in current event research and service learning projects in order to experience active citizenship and effective social studies teaching strategies in an ever changing world. “Social studies educators teach students the content knowledge, intellectual skills, and civic values necessary for fulfilling the duties of citizenship in a participatory democracy” (NCSS, 2010). As a member of the SSU service learning FLC (Faculty Learning Community), I would like to expand upon our existing service learning study to investigate the following: a. How to best teaching the teaching strategy of service learning to teacher candidates so that they will feel empowered and educated enough to implement this strategy into their own future classrooms? b. By teaching teacher candidates through this experiential mode, do they understand the link between service learning projects and teaching social studies? c. Does increased content knowledge about current events and then subsequent service increase active citizenship so that they can model civic engagement to their future students?I intend to survey the students to assess their own opinion of their developing competencearound active citizenship and using service learning as a teaching strategy and tool to meet thegoals of NCSS (National Council on Social Studies). I intend to use the EDU 309 social studiesmethods course blog posts to code and identify if they in fact met my goals of implementingsuch a project in the class. 2. Describe the exact method of finding subjects, and if applicable, obtaining informed consent and insuring confidentiality (including data storage). Attach informed consent and/ or disclosure form:Subjects: Students enrolled in spring 2012 EDU 309 Social Studies and Arts ElementaryMethods.Methodology:
a. Survey: I plan to implement an anonymous survey pre and post survey, at the beginning of the class before I even introduce the assignment, and at the end of their project, meaning they have already researched their current event topic in depth, connected it to governing agencies, conducted their service learning project, and presented on their project to the class. (Attached is the draft survey). When they complete the surveys, students will be asked to place their student identification number on the survey to enable me to match surveys. After the post-test is administered and surveys are matched, student id numbers will be eliminated from the surveys and will be replaced with sequential identification numbers, beginning with 1. Through this process, the anonymity of the participants will be preserved. b. Blog: Over the course of the semester I plan to have questions for students to explore that connect government and civics to their current event topic and service learning project. I would like to analyze whether or not they are drawing explicit links between this project and their own teaching social studies. My hope is that the project is integrated into the goals of the course, teaching social studies methods, and that these links are seamless. I hope to analyze their blogs to assess whether or not this is happening. In addition, their blogs are reflective, and I hope to analyze whether or not they might or might not use service learning as a teaching strategy in the future, and assess what barriers might be perceived for them (attached are sample questions for their blog).3. Methodology with respect to human and animal subjects. Beyond voluntarily completing the pre and post survey, students will not be asked to do anything that is outside the normal instructional work for the relevant courses.4. Materials or equipment A pre survey that evaluates students’ prior knowledge with service learning, citizenship, and social studies. A post survey that evaluates students’ experiences with the course project.5. Potential risks to participants There are no potential risks to participants.6. Potential benefits to participants Students are likely to benefit from an instructional approach I believe to potentially be very effective.7. Letters of agreement from participating organizations or institutions. None needed.8. Work Cited
Campus Compact (2003).Introduction to service learning toolkit: Readings and resources for faculty. Providence, RI: Brown University.Goldberg, J. (2009). Five ways to increase civic engagement.Social Studies and the young learner 22 (1) pp. 15-18.Kaye, Cathyrn Berger (2004). The complete guide to service leanring: Proven, practical ways to engage students in civic responsibility, academic curriculum and social action. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.National Council for Social Studies.About National Council for social studies. Retrieved from http://www.socialstudies.org/aboutWade, Rahima C. (2007). Community action rooted in history: A civiconnections model of service learning. Silver Spring MD: NCSS Publications.


Law, Andrew, 1749–1821, American composer, b. Milford, Conn. He was a preacher in Philadelphia and Baltimore and, later, a singing teacher in New England. Opposed to the contrapuntal style of William Billings, Law wrote rather simple hymn tunes. In his Select Harmony (1778), Collection of Best Tunes and Anthems (1779), and other compilations, he collected and arranged many tunes of other composers. He was among the first Americans to arrange hymns with the melody in the soprano instead of the tenor part. Law's teaching books were important in early American music education. One of the first American writers about music, he published Essays on Music in 1814.
See study by R. Crawford (1968).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.


• Emergent and advanced literacy development is Renée Nathanson’s area of specialisation. The development of literacy among at-risk learners is particularly relevant in the South African educational context. The Tereo Research Project is a unique project aimed at developing the reading and writing skills of street children and at-risk learners. It includes teacher training and development in assessment procedures and approaches to literacy instruction. The project, which started in 2005, is a collaborative project by a research team from Georgia State University and Stellenbosch University. It is sponsored by Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Gordon’s Bay.
• Computer assisted language learning is Estelle Kruger’s area of specialisation and links up with national priorities as outlined in the National Plan for Higher Education regarding the development of ICT in educational contexts.
• Educational linguistics covers topics in Psycholinguistics and Sociolinguistics and is mostly concerned with social applications of Linguistics in Education. It is Christa van der Walt’s area of specialisation and includes the role of English in bi/multilingual contexts, the role of multilingualism in higher education, language attitudes and language policies.
• Teaching creative writing is Estelle Kruger’s area of specialisation and links up with the development of creativity, learners’ imagination and writing proficiency in the teaching of Afrikaans, particularly in the pre-writing phase.
Colloquia / Projects


Types of Adolescent Literacy Initiatives in Out-of School-Time (OST) Programs
Enhancing adolescents' literacy abilities in structured out-of-school time (OST) programs is a growing area of interest among OST enrichment providers. Schools and community-based agencies have developed a host of after-school remedial tutoring programs that provide intensive instruction for struggling students, while project-based youth development programs incorporate text-rich activities to provide highly motivating opportunities for young people to practice their reading and writing skills.
- Literacy and academic development programs,
- Literacy enhancement programs,
- Academic enhancement programs, and
- Social development programs.
Literacy and academic development programs
OST literacy and academic development programs for adolescents work primarily with students who are performing academically below grade level. Students rarely choose on their own to participate in literacy development programs, but are often referred to these services by a teacher or parent.
The primary goal of a literacy and academic development program is to help students who test below basic in reading and writing achieve the skills necessary to become successful in school. The most common method of OST literacy instruction is one-on-one and small group tutoring. Sometimes this type of intervention is called remediation because it is assumed that the individual in need of intervention did not learn the skill when it was originally taught (or mediated) and thus needs a repeat of the teaching-or of the mediating-that should have occurred at a younger age or earlier stage of development.
OST literacy enhancement programs are intended to engage adolescents in reading and writing activities in highly motivating environments. For the most part, students participate in activities voluntarily and come from a vast range of academic backgrounds. The primary purpose of the literacy enhancement program is to ignite student interest and excitement around text-rich experiences. Literacy enhancement providers hope that this enthusiasm will translate into improved academic performance or motivation to read and write, although these programs rarely offer explicit literacy instruction to those who are struggling with basic literacy skills. Instead, they immerse youth in literacy activities with the hope that young people will enhance literacy skills because they need those skills to successfully complete the activities of the program.
Several programs address literacy development within the larger context of boosting students' academic achievement in their out-of-school time. We identify these as academic enhancement programs, recognizing that their missions are often two-fold-to provide a safe, structured after-school space for students to develop their social skills, and to offer educational enrichment that will enhance students' academic abilities. Participants may reflect a wide range of achievement, but some programs particularly target the lowest performing students. Unlike literacy/academic development and literacy enhancement programs, the acquisition of reading and writing skills is not central to programmatic objectives, but still may be addressed through a variety of educational activities.
High quality academic enhancement programs present a comprehensive enrichment menu of activities, often offering youth choices of which activities they would like to participate in. The programs include a combination of homework help and intriguing project-based educational activities. These programs also provide recreation and leisure time for the students and stress the importance of building caring adult relationships among students, staff and volunteers.
Social development out-of-school time programs work to support the social and emotional development of students, such as conflict-resolution skills or character building, with less of an emphasis on the academics. However, social development programs may implicitly require a particular literacy competency through structured activities in the program. For example, students on a camping trip may be asked to reflect on their experiences each day by writing in a journal. However, unlike academic enhancement initiatives, social development programs for the most part do not imbed standards-based educational content within their activities with the specific aims of increasing grades or achievement scores, nor do social development programs typically provide literacy instruction, even when engaging youth in activities that require literate skill.
Moje, E. B., & Tysvaer, N. (2010). Adolescent literacy development in out-of-school time: A practitioner's guide. New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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India's woeful state schools are in stark contrast to the country's lofty goals of becoming a nation of call centers and technology parks
The fifth-grade boys and girls at school in Sultanpur — a village about 40 km from the Indian capital, New Delhi — are laboring over their lessons on a Friday morning. Eleven-year-old Kiran alternates between chewing her pencil and copying the English text that was the morning’s task. She writes down the sentences, arduously capitalizing the first letter of every word. The children have not yet grasped the basics of English grammar, the teacher explains. But they should have – at least three grades earlier.
“I cannot read English very well,” Kiran mumbles, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the ground. She adds as an afterthought, “I know my tables till 20 in Hindi though.”
As a new World Bank study has found, there’s a literacy problem in Indian schools, and not just in English. A third of all grade-three students can’t read at all in their native language. Roughly half of all grade-five students cannot manage a grade-two text, which is also too difficult for a quarter of all seventh-grade pupils.
This decline in standards, experts say, is paradoxically because of the rush to build schools and bring back children to the education fold. India managed to bring down the number of out-of-school children from 32 million in 2001 to 1.4 million in 2011 as part of a program to make elementary education universal. The landmark Right to Education Act of 2009 guarantees every child in India between the ages of 6 and 14 free education at a neighborhood school.
And yet, amid this headlong drive, little attention has been paid to what children are learning in classrooms or how well. Absenteeism (the World Bank study pegs average attendance to be at least 15% to 30% lower than enrollment rates) and misconduct (recently, about 20,000 teachers were found to have forged their degrees in the eastern Indian state of Bihar) are big contributors to poor standards of education. “India will have to invest more, starting with pre-service teacher education and professional development of teachers,” says Poonam Batra, a professor in the education department at the University of Delhi and a member of the Justice Verma commission, which has suggested sweeping reforms in the education sector.
All this is in stark contrast to India’s lofty goals of becoming a nation of call centers and technology parks, and to the image it enjoys overseas as a powerhouse of learning, turning out English-speaking engineering and science graduates by the tens of thousands. Despite the fact that private schools, promising world-class education in English, have been mushrooming in the country over the past few years, standards of English are also on the wane. “The average Indian adult cannot yet write business letters in English or speak spontaneously at a business meeting in English,” Minh N. Tran, director of research and academic partnerships at Education First, tells TIME.
Enrollment in private schools in rural India increased from 19% in 2006 to 29% in 2013. In urban India it was about 58% in 2005 and likely to be much higher now. But it is in the state sector that the real battle must be fought. “Countries that have done well economically have had robust state schools and teacher-education systems,” says Batra.
New Delhi has raised government spending on education from 3.3% of GDP in 2004–05 to 4% in 2011–12 (China spends about the same, but Brazil and Russia are well ahead). But facilities remain woeful. In Indian state schools, children have to sit on the floor until they reach grade six. “My feet goes off to sleep sometimes, and I lose track of the class,” says Kiran. “A desk and a chair would be very nice.” For most Indian children, the battles are that basic.


- food wall display or Eating the Alphabet book
Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.2.a: With guidance and support, recognize and produce rhyming words (e.g., identify words that rhyme with /cat/ such as /bat/ and /sat/).
Head Start Outcomes:
Literacy Knowledge/Phonological Awareness: Identifies and discriminates between sounds and phonemes in language, such as attention to beginning and ending sounds of words and recognition that different words begin or end with the same sound.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 8: Listen to, identify, and manipulate language sounds to develop auditory discrimination and phonemic awareness.
Word Play: Rhyming Game #1
ELA Focus Skills: Phonological Awareness (Rhyme), Vocabulary
Ask children to name some plants they eat. Then invite children to play a rhyming game using different foods.
- Say, I will name a plant food and I want you to name a word that rhymes with it. Demonstrate for children.
- Point to a picture of a bean and say, Bean. Pause as if thinking; then say, Seen. Bean and seen are rhyming words. Have children focus on the ending sounds as you stretch out the sound in each word, be-e-a-a-n-n and se-e-e-e-n-n
- Point to a picture of a lime and say the word. Ask, Can you think of a word that rhymes with lime? (time, dime, climb) Allow time for children to respond. Accept made up words as well as actual words.
- Repeat the process with the words pear (bear, tear, rare); corn (horn, torn, born); fig (big, dig, wig); and pea (me, tree, sea).
Adaptation: With very young children, say two words that rhyme and one that does not (bean, green, lime) and ask children which word does not rhyme.
Adaptation: In groups with varying ages, challenge older children to come up with as many rhyming words as possible in five minutes for the words bean (lean, mean, clean, machine, magazine, seen, teen, thirteen) and pea (bee, he, key, knee, see, me, tea, we).
Educator Tip: Guided and independent Letter, Sound, and Word practice continues to take place in center activities. It is helpful to set up the literacy center immediately after the direct instruction and repeat instruction before children work in the literacy center identifying letters.


Encourage your children to select both fiction and non-fiction text to read this summer. Text = book, magazine, cereal box, guide, map, graphic novel, encyclopedia, Internet, and so on. Read my specific non-fiction book recommendations from the first part of 2011.
But, non-fiction reading is harder for most children than reading fiction simply due to lack of practice. Keep that in mind when you’re choosing reading materials. It takes practice with the text structure and vocabulary of non-fiction text to proficiently comprehend.
Non-Fiction Comprehension Strategies
Here are some important things your child needs to know and practice when reading non-fiction text.
Word Attack Skills
- learn prefixes and suffixes
- find smaller words in the word
- find and use the glossary
- use phonics skills to sound out scientific words
Text Structure Skills
- Learn about headings, captions, diagrams and photos.
- Learn how to find the most important information — usually in the first sentence of paragraphs.
- Learn to recognize bold face words as important to know.
Non Fiction Reading Comprehension Strategies – Before, During and After
- Allow your child to choose what topic to read about. Choice is essential.
- Help your child ask questions about what he or she wants to learn.
- Help your child separate interesting details from important facts.
- Read non-fiction in short bursts.
- Connect what you read to your life. Discussion helps.
Connect Reading to Writing
Most of the time we ask children to write non-fiction but don’t connect to real non-fiction examples. Take one of your child’s favorite texts to use as a model, pick a similar topic, and imitate the style of that favorite non-fiction book. All writers use models, or mentor text, to become better writers and learn a new technique or style. It’s not only okay to use mentor text, it’s an important, if not essential, way to grow as a writer.


There are many sensible reasons for changing majors in college. It is not uncommon to discover new interests that pull you in a different direction. Practical considerations, such as job prospects after graduation, also are important. College is a time for self-discovery and dreaming big. According to the Career Advising Center at the University of California, Berkeley, a typical student switches majors three to five times after declaring a major at orientation.
In 2012, Kiplinger released a list of majors that lead to jobs with low wages and high unemployment. Majors mentioned included anthropology, fine arts, film, philosophy, liberal arts and theater. If competition is intense for jobs in your chosen field, you may want to rethink your major, plan for graduate school or develop practical skills to complement your major. For example, a theater major will have expanded career options by taking classes in public relations and sales.
It may be wise to switch majors if you are doing poorly in your classes despite sincere effort. Science and technology classes are increasingly complex and competitive. According to a 2011 article in “The New York Times,” many science majors are not prepared for calculus and physics, which results in failing grades. Seek advice from your instructors, arrange for a tutor and enroll in developmental classes. Also take good notes, complete homework on time and study hard. If your performance still does not improve, consider a different major that could lead to a similar career.
If you lack enthusiasm for your major, ask yourself whether it is the subject matter, uninspiring instructors or your feelings about being in college. The answer will help you decide whether you should change majors, transfer schools or take a break from education. Being gifted in a certain area does not dictate how you must spend the rest of your life. While your parents may not understand why you changed your major from engineering to elementary education, it ultimately is your decision. The College Board suggests you will be happier and more successful if you choose a career based on personal interests.
Uncertain Career Goals
Students often choose majors before researching related careers and later discover they don’t like the types of jobs associated with their major. Other students change majors because they don’t know what to do with a degree in that field. The solution to career indecision is to research careers online and make an appointment with a career counselor. Then you can determine if a different major is better suited to your occupational and lifestyle preferences.
Style Your World With Color
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When learning is hard, many families and individuals look to tutoring for help. Tutoring allows struggling students to benefit from one-on-one instruction from a teacher (or even a more advanced student), and can be particularly helpful when missed curriculum needs to be redelivered.
For example, if events like moving or illness have caused someone to miss class, hiring a tutor to help that student “catch up” on missed instruction can be invaluable. Or if circumstances prevented the information from being delivered well the first time (for example, if a teacher gets sick and the material is presented poorly in his or her absence), hiring a tutor can fill that gap.
Sometimes, however, students struggle for another reason that has nothing to do with whether or not information was delivered or delivered well, but instead has to do with the cognitive ability to receive that information and receive it well.
Cognitive skills are the foundational skills the brain uses to learn, read, reason, and pay attention, and when those skills are weak, processing incoming information can be impacted. In cases like these, tutoring typically addresses the symptom of the problem, but not the root cause. Addressing the root cause requires targeting and training the weak skills.
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Art Education at Morris School
Visual arts education inspires students to perceive and shape the visual, spatial, and aesthetic characteristics of the world around them. Using a variety of ways to explore, learn, and communicate, students develop their capacity for imaginative and reflective thinking. The field includes the traditional “fine arts” of drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture; the design fields including ceramic, textile, graphic design, and architecture. Visual arts is a continuously evolving field that also explores newer technologies. Please click the link below to view the Massachusetts Art Frameworks.
For further information regarding Morris School Art Clubs and our wonderful Art Show, please click on our Student Life Art and Art Clubs link below.


Awakening through active imitation.
Pasadena Waldorf’s immersive play-based kindergarten curriculum blends many foundational skills necessary for subsequent academic success with a strong social-emotional learning component.
Young children learn best by actively engaging their senses and imitating what they see around them. Our kindergarten classes encourage children to participate in simple duties that connect them to their environment and one another in a nurturing and harmonious manner. The teachers introduce children to simple handwork that helps to prepare them for future learning while also stimulating their creativity.
The outdoor play yard offers swings, a spacious sand pit for digging, and a lovely playhouse, which are all nestled below the branches of a stately oak tree. The play yard is lined by an edible garden that the children tend to and is complimented by hay bales for sitting or climbing. Separated from the play areas for the older grades, the kindergarten yard is a perfect place for imaginative play or jumping rope.
The kindergarten children also participate in the art of Eurythmy. This combination of synchronized movement and voice helps with sensory-motor development, enhancing coordination while simultaneously stimulating the language centers of the brain. The teachers also lead a story circle that progresses through the week. Sometimes, the children are invited into the story itself, acting out parts as they are immersed in the lessons of each parable.
The changing rhythms of the year are integrated into the kindergarten experience, with the children beginning most days with an adventurous stroll led around the campus. The children march along behind their teacher on a winding journey, weaving amongst the trees and over little bridges, until they end up at one of the many outside play areas. These “morning walks” are often accompanied by parents who appreciate the peaceful and refreshing start to the day.
Each child in the kindergarten learns from the process of doing, whether stitching a doll or churning butter. They find joy in participating in the important work of daily life, from washing their napkins to cutting vegetables for a delicious soup. And they are exposed to a rich, imaginative world through which they learn important lessons that prepare them for entrance into the Grades.


The Core Curriculum:
Cabrini’s core curriculum, Justice Matters, develops a common core of knowledge and connects the theory and practice of social justice to each student’s major.
Justice Matters includes a sequence of developmentally linked, writing-intensive courses taken in the first, second, and third years, as well as a capstone project in the major during the fourth year.
It defines the contemporary Cabrinian education through academic excellence, social justice, and transformational learning.
Students learn skills that will advance their careers and that can be used for the benefit of their communities, linking theory to practice in the world, preparing them for professional careers through a rigorous liberal learning experience.
- First-semester students take a College-Success Seminar that prepares them for the Cabrini experience.
- A three-year, three-course sequence raises awareness of social problems, explores root causes, involves students hands-on in social justice issues, and connects the theory and practice of social justice to each student’s major.
- Students learn foundational skills in information technology, foreign languages, mathematics, science, and religious studies.
- Getting a broad exposure to various disciplinary experiences, students learn to understand themselves as products of and participants in creative traditions, institutions, the historical process, and value-driven decision making.
Students should consult the Undergraduate Catalog for the year they matriculated at Cabrini for core curriculum and major requirements.


Leonard Bernstein (Aug. 25, 1918 – Oct. 14, 1990) was the first American-born leader of a major American orchestra. A globe-trotting conductor, he was a composer whose works included the Broadway classic West Side Story. Bernstein was also passionately devoted to music education and brought his ideas about that to the infant medium of television in the 1950s.
He occasionally was a controversial personality who wore his liberal politics on his sleeve.
Twenty years after his death, AARP takes a look at this figure who loomed large over the world of American culture in the 20th century.
Independent radio producer Steve Rowland has this audio appreciation.
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North Carolina's elementary reading proficiency initiative is not working, according to a report from NC State's College of Education.
In 2012, state lawmakers created Read to Achieve (RtA). RtA was a push to increase reading achievement for elementary school students in public schools.
The law created multiple reading assistance options (including summer reading camps) to ensure all students would be reading at or above grade level by the end of the fourth grade.
Local school districts are in charge of providing the reading assistance options, but the state is responsible for paying for the programs.
Researchers at NC State said they found no statistical difference between test scores of students who fell into the RtA program and those who did not.
The researchers admitted that their research was done at a state level. They said some local districts across the state have reported seeing positive results from the program.
Researchers suggest reported local success in spite of a lack of statewide success may point to "significant gaps between the RtA policy and several aspects of on-the-ground implementation realities."
That's why one suggestion from the report is that the state do a better job of identifying local success and distributing how that success happened to other struggling school districts.
Another suggestion is that the state shift its focus from catching reading problems at the end of third grade to focusing on improving literacy development as early as kindergarten.
The researchers conclude their report by saying it is outside of their professional expertise to suggest wholesale changes to the RtA initiative.
However, they said they hoped their research does suggest that there is a "need for a reconsideration of the state's overall approach to improving early-grade literacy."
Read to Achieve program fails to make big impact for NC students, study finds
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Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners
In this must-read guide, experts Nancy Cloud, Fred Genesee, and Else Hamayan lay out a research-based yet practical and accessible approach to reading and writing instruction for ELLs. Designed for ELL teachers, mainstream teachers, and reading specialists, the book offers an excellent foundation on what we know about literacy development in ELLs before offering numerous classroom strategies on topics such as: emergent literacy in a second language; helping ELLs become biliterate; academic language and literacy; connecting reading and writing; and assessment. The book is full of classroom examples, extra tips and research questions, recommended resources, and useful skill charts, presented by the authors in a thoughtful, comprehensive, and clear format.
Literature-Based Reading Activities
This text presents a series of activities and ideas for implementing a literature-based reading program. Theoretically supported exercises for grades K-8 are included, as well as universal activities applicable to books of all levels. In addition, the book discusses practical, decision-making guidelines for literature instruction.
Made in America: Immigrant Students in Our Public Schools
Product Description: As the United States reexamines its borders and immigration policies, the debate over educating immigrant students in our public schools has divided Americans. What can teachers and immigrant students expect from each other? Laurie Olsen, co-director of Californians Together, describes what it looks and feels like to go to school and to teach in a culturally diverse environment. With a new introduction by Olsen, this timely reissue probes the challenges facing teachers and immigrant students in our public schools.
Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child's Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth Through Adolescence
Cutting edge scientific research has shown that exposure to the right kind of environment during the first years of life actually affects the physical structure of a child's brain, vastly increasing the number of neuron branches—the "magic trees of the mind"—that help us to learn, think, and remember.
Making a Place for Kids With Disabilities
Dale Borman Fink, the author of the only book on inclusion of youth with special needs in after school child care, now presents the first book to examine the experiences of children with disabilities participating in youth programs alongside their typical peers. Using a case study technique, he probes into the issues and dynamics that influence the increasing participation of kids with disabilities in such activities as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and park and recreation programs.
Making Mathematics Accessible to English Learners: A Guidebook for Teachers
Product Description: This practical book helps upper elementary, middle, and high school mathematics teachers effectively reach English learners in their classrooms. Designed for teachers who have had limited preparation for teaching mathematics to English learners, the guide offers an integrated approach to teaching mathematics content and English language skills, including guidance on best instructional practices from the field, powerful and concrete strategies for teaching mathematics content along with academic language, and sample lesson scenarios that can be implemented immediately in any mathematics class.
Making Science Accessible to English Learners: A Guidebook for Teachers, Updated Edition
Product Description: This updated edition of the bestselling guidebook helps middle and high school science teachers reach English learners in their classrooms. The guide offers practical guidance, powerful and concrete strategies, and sample lesson scenarios that can be implemented immediately in any science class.
Managing Diverse Classrooms: How to Build on Students' Cultural Strengths
This groundbreaking book examines the impact of culture and individual/collective orientation on classroom management and family outreach. The authors present the results of Bridging Cultures, a longitudinal five-year action research project focused on immigrant students in the U.S. school system. The result was a transformational approach to classroom management in areas such as instruction, behavior, assessment, and parent relationships.
Many Languages, Building Connections: Supporting Infants and Toddlers Who Are Dual Language Learners
Product Description: Many Languages, Building Connections outlines adaptable strategies that caregivers of children younger than the age of three can use to feel confident that they know how language develops, how cultural differences can come into play, and how to assess an individual child's situation to provide appropriate support.
Many Languages, One Classroom: Teaching Dual and English Language Learners
Product Description: Even the most experienced teacher can feel a bit unsure about meeting the unique needs of children from different language backgrounds.
Organized by interest areas and times of the day, you'll find everything you need to open the doors of literacy and learning for young English language learners during dramatic play, outdoor play, reading, science, blocks, and circle time.
Proceeds from the sale of books purchased from our recommended books section can help support LD OnLine.


DIET is the most significant educational intervention in the country, while the NCERT came up in the 1960,s and the state councils of education research and training came up in 1970,s, the need for a third tier of training and resource support structure, right at the district level was genuinely felt in order to improve the quality of Basic education. As a result DIET’s were set up in almost all the districts of all the states in the country.
Govt. of India gave top priority to elementary education.Different education Commissions were constituted which submitted their reports and on the basis of their findings, Govt. made drastic change in the education policy. In the beginning education was a state subject but through an amendment in the constitution in 1976 the subject of education was put on the concurrent list. As a result Central Govt. as well as State Govt. now collectively frame a particular education policy viz; National education policy-1986 introduced a new pattern of education known as 10+2+3 system. Establishment of DIET’s is based on the recommendations of National Education Policy 1986.
District Institute of Education and Training, Palakkad was established in 1992 by converting Swaminadha Vidyalaya Training School. The sole purpose of DIET is to conduct different kinds of trainings programmes to improve the quality of Basic education and create a desirable environment within the district in regard to enroll more and more children of school going age and pave the way for retention of those who are admitted in the school and to ensure the high literacy percentage of male and female as whole.
DIET,PALAKKAD has an academic faculty of highly qualified teachers who simultaneously work as Block Academic Co-ordinators or Mentors too, specially to supervise the on going different schemes of Basic Education and guide the teachers to implement the scheme in an effective way through the seven departments as categorized below:
- Faculty of Pre-Service Teacher Education (PSTE).
- Faculty of Educational Technology (ET).
- Faculty of Work Experience (WE).
- Faculty of District Resource Unit for adult and non-formal education (DRU).
- Faculty of In service programmes, Field Intervention, and innovation Coordination (IFIC).
- Faculty of Curriculum, Material Development and Evaluation(CMDE).
- Faculty of Planning and Management (P&M).
All the above faculties are working with various academic interventions
regarding Training,Research activities,Material development and monitoring.


It’s Not Just About Reading
Reading is an important and fun activity to experience with your child. There are so many benefits to the time spent reading to your child, listening to them read to you, and talking about the story afterwards. Listed below are some of the things that you can do to make the experience of reading even more beneficial and engaging for you and your child.
To make reading more meaningful and exciting for your child, ask them to tell you their own story or make up a story together. You and your child could also recreate the ending of a familiar story to enjoy a whole new adventure. As you read books together, make sure to be animated and engaged in the story, use your voice and change your facial expression to make the story more memorable.
Take A Hands On Approach
Many skills are being developed while you and your child are reading. Page turning is a movement that crosses the body’s midline, an important precursor to developing hand dominance and a requirement for the development of other fine and gross motor skills, cognitive skills, and self care tasks. Similarly, left to right and top to bottom orientation help to lay the foundation for a variety of other skills learned later in life, such as reading and handwriting.
Identifying shapes and colors is an early milestone, and reading books with your child books is a great place to begin learning. An understanding of the difference between pictures and words and the concept of “words” is developed as you point to them while you read to your child.
The following areas of development are also targeted during story time:
Fine Motor Skill Development
- Page turning to promote hand dexterity
- Finger isolation while pointing at words and pictures
Speech and Language
- Receptive Language (listening to and understanding language) is developed by encouraging your child to point to pictures and words in books. Prompt them by saying, “Point to the _________.” Or “Show me the __________.”
- Expressive Language (speaking and using language to communicate) is developed by having your child label pictures and words in books, and telling or retelling stories.


Many times, a student who is fresh out of high school hasn't decided for sure on a career path. Although they may stress about this, it's actually a common occurrence. Often times, there has simply not been enough stimulation in any certain courses to help the student decide on choosing any certain area as a direction they want for life. Despite the fact that this indecisiveness is normal for high school graduates, with today's economy it's simply not profitable, nor advisable to put off college until that decision has been made. This is where a degree study course such as general studies might come in handy. A general studies degree is sometimes called a "generalist degree" and is simply an extremely wide coverage of many basic college classes. It's a wonderful start in the search for which areas of study a person may wish to follow in order to further their education, however, it can also stand alone, to show potential employers that you now have many valuable skills as a result of the training and discipline you received in college while studying for a general studies degree.
The required classes for those students seeking a general studies degree will vary from school to school, but may be similar to the following agenda:
Computer Science, usually 3 hours for a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.), or Bachelor in Science (B.S.) degree in general studies. At least 12 semester hours of English are usually required for a B.A. in general studies, and 9 hours each for a B.M.E or B.S.
Three hours each in Fine Arts, and at least one hour in a Course of Excellence, is a standard requirement for all 3 degree paths. Six to fourteen hours of foreign language is normally a requirement for a B.A.
Six hours each is usually required in History, 3 to 4 hours each in Math, and 4 hours each for a B.A and B.M.E , but 12 hours of Natural Science are mostly required for a Bachelor of Science degree in general studies. Six to 9 hours each of religion, 6 hours for a B.A. and a B.S. but only 3 are required for a B.M.E. Three hours a piece are the normal requirements for Speech in a B.S or a B.A, but are not required for a B.M.E.
Although requirements will vary from school to school, but usually to earn a general studies degree a total of 55-70 hours are required for a Bachelor of Arts, 43-46 are required for a Bachelor of Music Education, and 54-61 are required for a Bachelor of Science. Aside from the required courses mentioned above, there are also very many choices for electives to enhance these core classes. These electives may be chosen according to what your interests are or what you may be interested in as a career. If you have an interest in Art, for example, you may choose electives which focus on Art, such as Ancient Art or Art History. There are quite a few job choices available to those with a general studies degree. Entry level positions will be available in administrative support, processing, management, and others. Those people within the business world can benefit from a general studies degree in their backgrounds as well. The adaptability, discipline, and skills of a general studies graduate can make them very desirable to employees everywhere.


Understanding ADHD -- the Symptoms
Learn more about the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from the experts at WebMD.
Understanding ADHD -- the Basics
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ADHD and Sleep Disorders
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Food Dye and ADHD
WebMD explores the relationship between food dye and ADHD symptoms. Find out about food coloring and hyperactivity, how diet influences ADHD symptoms, and what steps to take if you suspect an association between food dye and ADHD.
ADHD: Taking Care of Yourself When Your Child Has ADHD - Topic Overview
The child who is being evaluated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be evaluated for other disorders associated with the condition,such as learning or behavior disorders. The child may be asked questions (verbal tests) or may be given written tests to evaluate his or her intellectual abilities. The most common tests for intellectual abilities in children are: ...
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If you are an adult who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),you will most likely see an improvement in your symptoms when you take medicine for the condition. Behavioral interventions are not meant to treat inattention,overactivity,or impulsivity. But they can help you be more organized and have healthy interpersonal relationships. The following are some suggestions: Get ...


At Dorothy Barley Infant School art forms an important part of the curriculum. We believe art education stimulates creativity and imagination whilst giving the child unique opportunities to develop intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially. Therefore, we believe that it should be taught as an individual subject as well as incorporated into other curriculum lessons.
A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art.
The children will learn to use a range of different materials creatively to design and make products. They will draw, paint, print and sculpture materials such as clay to develop techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space. Children will use technology to produce images. They will also learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers.
As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design.


We aim to ensure that the children are becoming involved in both indoor and outdoor activities, which also aid in the children’s continual interests to learn and succeed.
We recognise each of the children as individual learners who already have their preferred learning methods in which they respond best to. We encourage the awareness of diversity, individual needs and the recognition of personal interest through understanding them as individuals and recognising the values of all.
Our ethos is one that each child becomes competent learners as they become actively involved in their environment and work towards achieving the goals set out in the curriculum, which promote self-esteem and the ability to understand concepts needed for the next steps in life.
Our centre provides classes and programs to enhance their learning experiences:
Our goal is to read age-appropriate books each year and assist them in understanding the contents of each book. This approach helps improve the child’s vocabularies, comprehension and concentration abilities, but also help them to interact with others and become lifelong readers.
Shake ‘N Move is a gross motor skill development program. The program is all about fitness and movement through active play. The classes are a mix of fun productive play activities involving various sports games, cardio and athletics, gymnastics based mobility, aerobic fitness and strength training utilising different stimulus equipment in each class. With a 48-week program, each session remains fun and fresh, changing every week.
We offer a program known as “Munch N Move” which teaches and get children involved in a better and healthier way of living. This program enables children to physically become aware and engaged in many exercises and games to promote physical fitness and healthy eating and ensures their cognitive awareness.
Your child’s development and readiness for school concentrating on language and mathematical tasks as well as the understanding the many self-help skills, social skills and concepts needed to make the transition into school as enjoyable as possible.


Phonics instruction teaches the relationships between the letters of the wriiten language (graphemes) and the individual sounds (phonemes). It also teaches how these relationships are used to read and write words. The table below summarizes six approaches to phonics instruction that aim to teach students to systematically recognize familiar words and decode new words independently.
|Children learn how to convert letters or letter combinations into sounds, and then how to blend the sounds together to form recognizable words.|
|Analytic phonics||Children learn to analyze letter-sounds relationships in previously learned words. They do not pronounce sounds in isolation.|
|Analogy-based phonics||Children learn to use parts of word families they know to identify words they don't know that have similar parts.|
|Phonics through spelling||Children learn to segment words into phonemes and to make words by writing letters for phonemes.|
|Embedded phonics||Children are taught letter-sound relationships during the reading of connected text. (Since children encounter different letter-sound relationships as they read, this approach is not systematic or explicit.)|
|Onset-rime phonics||Children learn to identify the sound of the letter or letters before the first vowel (the onset) in a one-syllable word and the sound of the remaining part of the word (the rime).|
© ______ 2004, Merrill, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The reproduction, duplication, or distribution of this material by any means including but not limited to email and blogs is strictly prohibited without the explicit permission of the publisher.


A Tool to Help Struggling Students with Academic Pressure
Academic pressure — particularly of the kind Indian high school students face — can be debilitating. But a growing body of research around the power of values affirmation, a psychological tool, suggests a short exercise can have dramatic effects on struggling students’ academic performance.
Values affirmation is rooted in self-affirmation theory, which holds that all humans have a need to feel adequate, and the threat of inadequacy can cause stress and defensive mechanisms that get in the way of growth and performance. In other words, thinking you’re not good enough — at life, at a particular subject in school — can become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
David Sherman, PhD, a psychologist with the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Geoffrey Cohen, PhD, a professor of education at Stanford University, theorized about a decade ago that actions or exercises that remind people of their values, beliefs and roles can bolster their identity to withstand the stress of inadequacy and actually help them become adequate — or even adept.
It’s a theory borne out, more so than less, in experiments over the past ten years, particularly those focused on students. Take this most recent iteration, published in PLOS ONE, which studied the effect of a values affirmation exercise on 221 students enrolled in a difficult undergraduate psychology statistics course at The Ohio State University.
“Many students are not huge fans of the class because of the math involved, but it is a requirement,” said Ellen Peters, lead author of the study and professor of psychology at the university.
Half of the students first completed the values affirmation exercise near the beginning of the course: They were given a list of six values (including relationships with family and friends, spiritual/religious values and science/pursuit of knowledge) and asked to rank them in terms of personal importance; then, they affirmed their values by spending 10 to 15 minutes writing why their most important value was meaningful to them.
The other half of the students, the control group, were given the same list of values, similarly asked to rank them, but then were asked to write about why their least important value might be meaningful for someone else. Both groups of students later repeated the exercises right before their first exam.
The researchers found, by comparing the results of a numeracy test administered at the beginning and end of the course, that students who participated in the values affirmation exercise significantly improved their objective numeracy skills. The students in the control group did not see improved scores.
Students also completed a questionnaire at the beginning and the end of the course that measured how good they thought they were at maths and how much they preferred numbers over words. Results showed that students who completed the values affirmation showed no change in this subjective numeracy measure from the beginning to the end. Researchers saw that stasis as a positive — students in the control group showed declining opinions of their personal maths skills, presumably because of the stress and difficulties they faced in the statistics class.
“It has a snowball effect. Values affirmation is thought to help students get some early wins in class. That leads them to try harder and get more achievements and it creates a cycle of success,” Peters said.
(The results also showed that students in the values affirmation group that demonstrated improved numeracy also scored higher on a financial literacy test and showed better health-related choices — such as avoiding cigarettes and practicing safe sex — over the course of the class; researchers are crediting it to improved numeracy skills being applied in the real world, but they’ve not explained how they controlled to rule out the effect of regular values affirmation on other areas of life.)
So, for students struggling with academic pressure to the point they feel like success is impossible, have them try writing about what really matters to them and why before embarking on the subject’s next big assignment or test. (Hint: It only works if you’ve not drilled into them the paramount need to be a class topper.) Because this study and others suggest that sometimes, the most helpful thing you can do to improve academic performance is to remind struggling students of all the things that matter more.


Hopkinton Public Schools Philosophy of Learning
We believe that the goal of learning is understanding. All students must have equal access to a clearly articulated curriculum while engaging in inquiry, exploration, discovery, application, and reflection. Effective learning activities that lead to deep understanding begin with clear goals, and are designed to capitalize on strengths while addressing the needs of individual students. Learning begins as the acquisition of knowledge and skills; deep understanding requires a safe and vibrant learning community that allows risk-taking and fosters continual dialogue. The measure of learning and the evidence of understanding is the student’s ability to apply what is learned in school to authentic purposes and real life situations.
Development of Curriculum
In Hopkinton, units of study are created using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, which was originally developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. The MA curriculum frameworks serve as our guiding documents, and teachers use the UbD model to create three stages of curriculum design:
Stage I: Desired Results. In this stage, teachers determine the big ideas and enduring understandings that comprise each unit of study
Stage II: Evidence. In this stage, teachers create assessments and tasks that allow students to demonstrate their understanding and mastery of the standards
Stage III: Learning Plan. In this stage, teachers develop learning activities that are designed to further students’ understanding of key concepts.
Academic Vision of the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE):
Hopkinton’s vision of curriculum development is closely aligned with that of DESE, which expects that “every student in Massachusetts has access to a safe and supportive school environment that cultivates academic curiosity and confidence. Students have equitable access to an excellent education. Students read meaningful texts across content areas, work on complex real-world problems, participate in the arts, and share their ideas through speaking and writing using evidence, all in an effort to understand the world, their personal identities and their roles in the world.
Instruction is most powerful when educators have strong content knowledge and access to high-quality instructional materials and professional learning that promote inclusive practice accessible to all students, including English learners and students with disabilities; support authentic, engaging, and interdisciplinary student learning experiences; and invest families and students in their learning.
To support standards-based learning, we believe that every student should engage:
with grade-appropriate text every day
with meaningful real-world problems every day
in scientific conversations using data every week
… in a school environment that supports social-emotional learning, health, and safety.”
Current State Curriculum Frameworks
Current Massachusetts Frameworks - Link to all current Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
Ms. Parson holds a CAGS in Educational Leadership from Bridgewater State University, as well as a Masters in Education in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on Literacy, from Lesley University. Her undergraduate degree was in Elementary Education, awarded from the University of Rhode Island.
She served as the Principal (2011-2018) of the Lincoln St. Elementary School in Northboro, and serves on the School Committee of the Milford Public Schools (2014-present). She has previously served as the Principal (2004-2011) of the Center School in Hopkinton. She was also the Assistant Principal (2001-2004) for the Israel Loring School in Sudbury, and began her career in education as a Grade 4, 5 and 6 Classroom Teacher for the Natick (MA) and Atlanta (GA) Public School Districts.