Early development of number concepts is critical in developing positive attitudes about mathematics at an early age. Special methods and activities will assist children to develop early numeracy skills. These methods will need to include the use of motivating and engaging concrete materials that children can manipulate. Young children need to experience a lot of 'doing' and 'saying' before written numerals will make sense to them.
As early as 2 years of age, many children will parrot the words 'one', 'two', 'three', 'four', 'five' etc. However, rarely do they understand that the number refers to an item or a set of items. At this stage, children do not have 'number conservation' or 'number correspondence'.
What are these concepts and how can you help?
Engaging children with a variety of measurement concepts is a great beginning. For instance, children enjoy telling us that they are 'bigger' than their sister or brother or 'taller' than the lamp or that they are 'higher' than the dishwasher. Young children will also think that they have 'more' in their cup simply because their cup is taller. This type of language needs to be promoted and children need parental guidance to help with the misconceptions of these concepts through experimentation. The bathtub is a great starting point, using a variety of plastic cylinders/cups and containers. At this age, perception is the child's guide, they do not have any other strategies to guide them in determining which has more or less, is heavier or lighter etc. A parent or day care provider can provide great learning experiences to assist young childrens' misconceptions through play.
Classification is a pre-number concept that children need lots of experimentation and communication with. We classify on a regular basis without even considering what we're actually doing. We look in indexes that are alphabetized or numerically arranged, we purchase groceries in areas of food groups, we classify to sort laundry, we sort our silverware before putting it away. Children can benefit from a variety of classification activities which will also support early numeracy concepts.
• Use blocks to engaged young children to repeat the patterns.....blue, green, orange etc.
• Ask young children to sort the silverware or the laundry based on color.
• Use shapes to encourage children to determine what comes next----triangle, square, circle, triangle, etc.
• Ask children to think of everything they can write with, ride on, that swims, that flies etc.
• Ask children how many items in the living room are square or round or heavy etc.
• Ask them to tell you how many things are made of wood, plastic, metal etc.
• Extend classification activities to include more than one attribute (heavy and small, or square and smooth etc.)
Before Children Count
Children need to 'match sets' before they will understand 'number conservation' and that counting is actually referring to sets of items. Children are guided by their perceptions and will think that there are more grapefruits than lemons in a pile due to the actual size of the piles. You will need to do one to one matching activities with young children to help them develop conservation of number. The child will move one lemon and you can move the grapefruit. Repeat the process so that the child can see the number of fruits is the same. These experiences will need to be repeated often in a concrete manner which enables the child to manipulate the items and become engaged in the process.
More Pre-Number Activities
Draw a number of circles (faces) and put down a number of buttons for eyes. Ask the child if there are enough eyes for the faces and how they can find out. Repeat this activity for mouths, noses etc. Speak in terms of more than and less than or as many as and how can we find out.
Use stickers to make patterns on a page or classify them by attributes. Arrange a row of a set number of stickers, arrange a second row with more spaces between the stickers, ask the child if there are the same number of stickers or more or less. Ask how they can find out - DON'T COUNT! Match the stickers one to one.
Arrange items on a tray (toothbrush, comb, spoon etc.) ask the child to look away, rearrange the items to see if they realize the number of items is still the same or if they think it's different.
You will have given young children a great start to Mathematics if you perform the above activity suggestions before introducing them to numbers. It's often difficult to find commercial activities to support classification, one to one matching, number conservation, conservation, as many as/more than/the same as etc. and you will probably need to rely on typical toys and household items. These concepts underlie the important mathematical concepts that children will eventually become involved in when they begin school.


It has been said that the most critical years of a child’s life is the first five. This is the time when one does the most growing — physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you think about it, the foundation is set in these first five years, and parents are the child’s first teacher. It’s a daunting task, but with a few simple tips, I believe parents are up to it! What kind of reader do you want your child to grow up to be? Here are five ways to raise a reader:
- Read, Read, and Read some more! The best and most important way we can create lifelong readers is by reading aloud to our children from birth. Even before birth, if possible. If you make a habit of it from birth, it becomes a natural part of your routine as your children get older. I began reading to my children nightly as they received their last feeding for the night. It led to a natural extension of bedtime reading. Now my children are 3 and 6 and a night would not be complete without reading before bedtime. I firmly believe that creating the routine early on has helped us to stick to it as they have grown older.
- Talk , Talk, and Talk some more! Have conversations with your child from birth. It may seem strange to talk to an infant, when he doesn’t respond, but you are setting the stage for language development which is a precursor to learning to read. Between the ages of birth through 3, children’s minds are sponges soaking up everything. When at the grocery store, talk about the colors of the produce. When driving, talk about the meaning of traffic signs. Some of the first sight words children recognize are environmental print, such as traffic signs, store signs, etc.
- Expose, Expose, and Expose some more! Expose your child to all types of print inside and outside of your house. Books, magazines, newspapers, labels, traffic signs, store signs, and even online print, such as Big Universe books. Exposure to print from a very young age has proven to be a precursor to reading as well. The more we expose our children to print, the more likely they are to have the language development they need to become successful readers.
- Build, Build, and Build some more! Build a home library especially for your child. Create a small corner that is special just for him or her, loaded with various reading materials (see above). Baskets are a great way to display and store books. If placed in a basket, children are easily able to see the covers and choose the book he/she wants. Change the books from time to time, so that there is variety. Place fiction and nonfiction together. If you are so inclined, make the baskets theme based and place books that relate to a theme together in one basket.
- Write, Write, and Write some more! Reading and writing go hand in hand. The more you read the better writer you become and the more you write the better reader you become. Encourage your child to write. Drawing lines and scribbling is a precursor to actual writing and an important milestone in literacy development. Provide paper for your child to write lists, letters, and stories. It may not look like anything to you, but your child is actually going through an important step in his or her development to becoming a successful reader!
I am a mother of two and a former classroom teacher. Always an educator, literacy is my passion. I love to read a good book and I love to find good books for my kids. A stay-at-home mom since my son was born almost seven years ago; I decided to put that passion to good use and founded Links to Literacy. My goal is to provide interactive literacy experiences for families and children. It is my hope that every child will grow up to be engaged, lifelong readers and I hope to empower parents to help their children through the process. For more information, please visit www.linkstoliteracy.com
Dawn Little also blogs at www.teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com where she provides educators with picture book lessons based on comprehension strategies and the Six Traits of Writing. In addition, she blogs at www.literacytoolbox.wordpress.com where she provides educators and parents with tips and tools to enhance the literacy lives of children.


HLTH 465 Current Issues in Health
This course affords students the opportunity to examine local, national, and international health issues. Students will actively participate in selecting course topics, work collaboratively with others in developing and implementing course objectives, and will research, write, and present information on selected course topics.
PE 247 Foundations of Physical Education
An introductory course involving historical, philosophical, and sociological foundations of physical education, exercise science, and sport. An overview of the field, as well as contemporary issues concerning physical education and the related areas of exercise science and sport, are examined.
PE 343 Elementary School Physical Education Content and Assessment
This course is designed to study the dynamic and rapidly changing field of elementary physical education (grades K-6), while acknowledging that the motor domain is integral to the complete education process. Current trends, assessment techniques, components of the elementary physical education program, core content, and NASPE standards will be discussed. Emphasis is placed upon developmentally appropriate physical education content: movement experiences and body mechanics; fundamental locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative skills; fitness activities; rhythmic activities; stunts and tumbling; simple games and relays; sport skills and activities.
PE 345 Middle/Secondary School Physical Education Content and Assessment
This course will provide students with the knowledge and understanding required to develop quality middle and high school physical education programs, according to NASPE standards. Applications of fundamental movements in traditional sports and games, adventure activities, and lifetime or leisure-oriented activities will be examined. Students will: 1) develop a conceptual and practical understanding of health-related fitness, as well as an awareness of the vital role that physical education plays in assisting students in maintaining health-related fitness levels; 2) refine the skills and knowledge needed to select physical activities appropriate for middle and high school students; and, 3) develop knowledge of assessment, evaluation, and grading procedures appropriate for the content presented.
PE 346 Middle/Secondary School Physical Education Methods
This course provides the knowledge, theory and practical application of physical education within the middle and secondary school setting, according to NASPE standards. Students will explore various teaching techniques, class and behavior management strategies, and methods used to teach and evaluate middle and high school students. Students will: 1) design and implement course unit and lesson plans; 2) develop appropriate skill practice sessions; 3) evaluate activities and cognitive knowledge appropriate for middle and secondary students, and, 4) discuss the importance of becoming a reflective practitioner.
PE 229 Elementary Physical Education, Health, and Wellness: Methods and Materials
Required for elementary (K-8) majors, this course provides students with a strong foundation in elementary physical education content, basic health concepts, and methods, with an emphasis on developmentally appropriate physical education. Designed to introduce elementary education majors to the dynamic and rapidly changing field of elementary physical education, this course will: 1) familiarize students with current terminology and trends; 2) explore various activities, materials, units, teaching techniques, and methods of instruction; and 3) integrate elementary physical education with basic health, fitness, and wellness concepts.
PE 342 Growth, Development, and Motor Learning
This course is an examination of the growth and development patterns across the lifespan, with emphasis placed upon early childhood, childhood, and adolescent stages. Basic principles of motor learning theory will be incorporated as related to teaching movement at selected life stages.


Jules François Camille Ferry Facts
The French statesman Jules François Camille Ferry (1832-1893) was a major political leader during the first 2 decades of the Third Republic. He played a key role in expanding public education and in developing France's colonial empire.
Jules Ferry was born at Saint-Dié, Vosges Department, on April 5, 1832. On receiving his law degree in 1851, he was admitted to the Paris bar, but he first made his name in journalism as one of the most vigorous critics of the Second Empire. His successes led him into more active politics, and in 1869 he was elected to the legislature from Paris.
Entering the Government of National Defense after the fall of the Empire, Ferry became the top civil administrator for Paris and had to struggle with the difficult problems caused by the siege. His stringent but necessary measures earned him an unpopularity in the capital that lasted throughout his career.
Ferry became minister of public instruction in 1879 and initiated a number of reforms, the most controversial being those aimed at reducing the influence of the Church on education. The state recovered its monopoly in the awarding of degrees, but his proposal to prohibit teaching by members of religious orders (the famous Article 7) was defeated in the Senate. In 1880 he took administrative measures to dissolve unauthorized religious orders. More important was his introduction of legislation to make elementary education compulsory, free, and laic. In September 1880 he became premier and was able to further his program by decrees, but lack of funds and personnel prevented his ambitious plans from being implemented at once.
An ardent colonial expansionist when most republican politicians saw foreign questions only in terms of Alsace-Lorraine and the German menace, Ferry was charged with diverting attention—and troops—away from the Continent. His first ministry ended in November 1881 as a result of criticism of the Tunisian expedition which led to the French protectorate.
Ferry returned to the Ministry of Public Instruction in January 1882. In February 1883 he was again premier and carried out a purge of antirepublican elements in the judiciary. Although his power and prestige seemed as great as ever, this time the opposition to his foreign policy proved fatal to Ferry's career. He supported French involvement in Indochina, but news of a minor defeat there, much exaggerated in the first report, compelled his resignation on March 30, 1885. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency in 1887 and never again played a leading role in government. Shot by an Alsatian fanatic on Dec. 10, 1892, Ferry died in Paris on March 17, 1893.
Further Reading on Jules François Camille Ferry
For an important aspect of Ferry's career see Thomas F. Power, Jr., Jules Ferry and the Renaissance of French Imperialism (1944).
Additional Biography Sources
Guilhaume, Philippe, Jules Ferry, Paris: Encre, 1980.


WEISS, JULIUS (ca. 1840–?). Julius Weiss, the German music professor who gave Scott Joplin, the King of Ragtime, his earliest formal music education, was born in Saxony between June 4, 1840, and June 3, 1841. Weiss was one of an inestimable number of itinerant German musicians who prepared the cultural soil in Texas for later development of symphony orchestras and opera companies. His approximate birthdate is extrapolated from the 1880 United States census and contemporary recollections.
Nothing is known conclusively about his education, but that he was a well-educated man is attested by the subjects other than music in which he tutored in Texarkana (German, astronomy, mathematics). He taught both piano and violin and had extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for opera, a fact that probably indicates some conservatory background in his training as well. No precise date can be determined when Weiss made his way to the U.S., but he was in St. Louis by the late 1870s, when Col. Robert W. Rodgers hired him to be a music teacher and live-in tutor for his six children in Texarkana, Texas. Rodgers was a successful lumbermill owner and businessman in Texarkana.
Weiss arrived in Texarkana between August 1877 and December 1878. He remained in the town until shortly after Rodgers's death in 1884. In Texarkana, Weiss befriended the young Scott Joplin and taught him piano, ear training, and harmony, and introduced him to the world of classical music, especially opera. Weiss probably helped the Joplins get the Rodgers family's old square piano when the lumberman bought a new one. According to recollections of his wife, Joplin fondly remembered his old German music teacher in later years. He even sent Weiss money after moving to New York in 1907. Weiss was surely the inspiration for Scott Joplin's quest to continue his musical education in later years and to use his ragtime style in conjunction with such larger musical genres as ballet and opera. The influence of mid-nineteenth-century German operatic style and forms is especially noticeable in Joplin's opera, Treemonisha, a work with which he was occupied in the last years of his life.
The straitened circumstances of the Rodgers family after the death of Colonel Rodgers forced Weiss to leave Texarkana. Nothing is known about his whereabouts until about 1895, when he appears in Houston as junior partner in W. C. Stansfield & Co., a store selling pianos, organs, and sheet music. By 1897 the partnership had dissolved and Weiss was listed in the city directory as simply a music teacher. His fortunes declined further by the end of the century, and in the 1900–01 city directory he is listed as being with Perkins and Buchanan, operators of gambling establishments in the city. Ironically, Weiss was probably playing piano at gambling joints, making a living as Joplin did during his formative years. Weiss disappears from the Houston city directories at this point, and no record of his death has yet been located.
Theodore Albrecht, "Julius Weiss: Scott Joplin's First Piano Teacher," College Music Symposium 19.2 (Fall 1979). Lawrence S. Clayton and Joe W. Specht, eds., The Roots of Texas Music (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2003).
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Larry Wolz, "WEISS, JULIUS," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwe40), accessed March 26, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.


I recently saw the movie Whiplash, which was a gripping look at the price of greatness. For those who haven’t seen the flick, it’s about a teenager jazz drummer obsessed with becoming a legendary artist.
Now, most of us are not willing to practice an instrument until our hands literally bleed, as the Whiplash protagonist does. But the good news is that you may not have to.
You see, a recent study showed that taking music lessons — just basic chord progressions, strumming skills and the like — greatly improves people’s language and reading skills.
Even more interesting is that the research was conducted on at-risk, low-income children, most of them Latino.
The researchers believe that the experience of making music creates a more efficient brain that helps a person learn and communicate better. But the study implies that at least two years of lessons are required before improvements kick in.
So what does this mean for Hispanic kids, who often live in disadvantaged areas? Well, it implies that investing in music education may help Latino children improve their learning skills and close the educational gap between Hispanics and other ethnic groups. The results also imply that for low-income students, music lessons can be as important as traditional classes in math and reading.
Because music is a key part of Latino culture, programs that offer music education will find a receptive audience in Hispanic kids. After all, I could not have been the only Latino kid who grew up on a steady diet of Santana and Julio Jaramillo. And that’s not even getting into all the salsa, rock, hip hop, and stray bits of classic country that finds its way into Latino homes.
Basically, we like to listen to a lot of music, so it should be a natural extension to get Hispanic kids to learn how to play it.
This research aligns with another recent study, which found that bilingual kids have more flexible brains and better cognitive abilities. Keep in mind that most of the demand for Spanish-language immersion schools is coming from white families who want their kids to master another language and gain exposure to diversity.
So it might not be long before you peek into a classroom and see a bunch of multiethnic kids speaking Spanish and jamming on blues standards.


W81 Graph Theory. This course is an introduction to graph theory, a relatively “young” (after 1890) branch of pure mathematics that has many applications to other disciplines, most notably computer science. The course is primarily a problem-solving class with student work consisting of homework problems, in-class group work, and student presentations of solutions (both written and oral). There is some direct instruction but the most of the learning will be through active participation in problem-solving. Problems will range from relatively concrete (though sometimes difficult) counting and enumeration problems to quite abstract theorems that require careful proofs. Graph theory is a good area in which to develop theorem-proving skills as the objects, though abstract, are finite and relatively easy to understand and the subject matter does not have any particular mathematical prerequisite. Applications of graph theory may be introduced but are not the major focus of this course. Students are evaluated based on their problem solutions and presentations. The prerequisite for this course is at least one of Mathematics 301, 312, 351, or 361. The course satisfies the requirement in the mathematics major of one interim course. M. Stob. 8:30 a.m. to noon.
W82 Curricular Materials for K-8 School Mathematics. This course examines and evaluates K-8 mathematics curricula in the context of the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics . Although the emphasis this year will be on grades 6-8, curricula at all grade levels will be examined. Some of the curricula to be discussed are Everyday Mathematics, Investigations, Math TrailBlazers, Connected Mathematics, MathScape, MathThematics and Mathematics in Context. Students are expected to complete assigned readings, to participate in and lead sample activities and lessons, and to contribute to small-group and whole-class discussions of the materials under consideration. Evaluation is based on in-class participation, presentation of grade-level lessons, several written quizzes, and written projects. Optional K-8 classroom observations can be arranged for the morning hours. Students should arrange their schedules so that they can spend some additional hours in the Curriculum Center . Prerequisite: Mathematics 222. This course may replace Mathematics 110 in the elementary education mathematics minor for students who have completed four years of high school mathematics and who have received permission from their mathematics advisor. J. Koop . 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
MATH-160 Elementary Functions and Calculus (core). This course is a continuation of Mathematics 159. Topics include applications of derivatives, integrals, the fundamental theorem of calculus, and applications of integrals. Grades are based on problem sets, tests, and a final exam. Prerequisite: Mathematics 159. T. Jager. 8:30 a.m. to noon and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.


Back to RW11 Back to the Federal Index Home
A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE 11TH (1944-45) DUCK STAMP ARTIST
Walter A. Weber was raised in the "Windy City" and stayed there for most of his early life. He was born in Chicago on May 23, 1906, the son of Jacob and Antoinette Kreml Weber. There he received all of his formal education and there he worked for several years after he graduated from college.
As a child, he had a varied and very active collection of whatever living things he could catch and keep. Beetles, squirrels, crows, ants, mice, raccoons, and turtles all frolicked through his collection at one time or another. He also liked to gather plants from their natural habitat to use as subjects for his soda pop sketches. It was this insatiable curiosity about plant and animal life that later influenced both his studies and his art.
He was led by his interests to study zoology and botany at the University of Chicago, where he graduated in 1927 wit a B.S. degree as a Phi Beta Kappa. He received his art education at the Chicago Art Institute, the American Academy of Art, and the Church School of Art.
Although he was only 22 years old, Mr. Weber was now trained well enough as a scientific illustrator that he was able, in 1928, to join the staff of the Chicago Field Museum (presently The Chicago Museum of Natural History). He traveled extensively for the museum visiting every continent except Antarctica. He was artist and ornithologist for the Crane Expedition to the South Pacific in 1928-29. In the winter of the next year, he made an expedition to Bermuda to paint fish for Mr. Cornelius Crane. He went, in the summer of 1936, to British Columbia to study under Major Allan Brooks, the well-known bird artist, who did many series for the National Geographic magazine. This was invaluable experience for Mr. Weber, a man who was rapidly developing his own style. The two men spent four months together, working much of the time in the field.
For the next two years, Mr. Weber served as a biologist and artist for the Century of Progress Exposition in his home town. After that, he tried his skills as a free-lance artist for two years. He specialized mainly in advertising art and commercial illustration.
Mr. Weber continued his museum work, organizing and painting backgrounds for the biological exhibits at the Texas State Memorial Museum in 1936. After that work was done, he went to Washington D.C. and worked as a wildlife technician with the National Park Service. He transferred to the staff of the U.S. National Museum five years later and, in 1942, was sent as an ornithologist to southern Mexico (Tabasco and Vera Cruz) on a Smithsonian Institution--National Geographic Society expedition.
In March of the next year, Mr. Weber returned to free-lance art and late in that year did the watercolor painting tat was selected for use on the 1944-45 Duck Stamp.
Mr. Weber died in January 1979 while living in Lynchburg, Virginia.
White-fronted Geese was done in watercolor wash. A stone lithograph was prepared and prints were hand pulled on white Rives paper using brown and black ink. The prints were signed in both ink and pencil but not numbered. The print image size is 6 1/2" x 9 1/2"
White-fronted Geese...Engraved by the Federal Bureau of Engraving from the original artwork. Printed in red-orange ink. The stamp sold for one dollar. Postal records show 1,487,029 stamps sold. First day of sale was July 1, 1944.
Most of the information contained above is from the book Federal Duck Stamp Story, Fifty Years of Excellence, by Laurence F. Jonson; Alexander & Co. It is used here with permission from the author. For more information on this book, please click here.


Reading Skills: Vowels
Learn how to read and pronounce short, long, and double vowels. The following web sites include games, hands-on activities with animations and sounds, and lesson plans. There are links to eThemes recourses on spelling and reading strategies.
Learn to Read
This page has online interactive games, lessons, and animated movie about letters, sounds, and words.
It's Fun to Read!
This page has online interactive stories that can help kids of different ages to learn how to read. Select the "I'm Reading!" link for more advanced level.
PBS: Between the Lions: When Two Vowels Go Walking
Listen to a song and learn how to write, read, and pronounce words with double vowels. NOTE: This site requires Windows Media.
ABC Teach: Word Slide: Short Vowels (B_T)
Print out this PDF file to create a word slide than practice to pronounce words with different vowels.
See 'N Spell
Practice spelling short words playing this game. Please be patient while game is uploading. NOTE: The site includes pop-up and banner ads.
Can you find words with long vowels? Check you knowledge here.
BBC: Words and Pictures: Long Vowel Sounds
This web site has fun games for younger kids to practice long vowel sounds, typical of proper British pronunciation.
Teaching Short Vowel Discrimination Using Dr. Seuss Rhymes
Here is a lesson plan that can help children learn short vowels "o" and "u" while recognizing them in Dr. Seuss Rhymes. Includes a PDF worksheet.
Using Folk Tales: Vowel Influences on the Letter G
This lesson plan is designed to help kids to learn how different vowels can influence letter "g". The lesson plan includes reading of the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story.
Select time or untimed mode of the game and find as many words as you can to reach the eighth level. NOTE: The site includes pop-up and banner ads.
Combine as many as you can letters into words in this Tetris-like game. NOTE: The site includes pop-up and banner ads.
eThemes Resource: Grammar: Spelling
These sites include many interactive spelling games that are fun for the SMARTboard. Also includes lists of common spelling rules and tips on helping students learn to spell.
eThemes Resource: Reading Strategies for Elementary Students
These websites contain reading strategies to help elementary school students become good readers. Some websites simply list strategies and some include activities to help students learn. One website is a PowerPoint presentation on good reading techniques and one website compares good reading with poor reading. Some websites are written for students who are having trouble learning to read.
eThemes Resource: Teaching Tips: Reading Comprehension Strategies
These sites offer various strategies to improve reading comprehension for students at all grade levels. Includes many online stories and questions to test reading comprehension. There is a reading comprehension inventory and research articles on this topic. Many pages can be printed out and used in the classroom. Some of the tips include KWL charts, story maps, word maps, and story pyramids.
Request State Standards


Girls and women in Iraq are often denied educational opportunities due to a variety of factors, ranging from cultural and economic constraints to violence and insecurity in their communities. In southern Iraq, Mercy Corps is changing those dynamics — providing an opportunity, despite these challenges, for girls and women to develop literacy and numeracy skills, and ultimately, a greater sense of independence.
Since 2005, the Women’s Awareness and Inclusion Program has been implemented through the USAID-funded Community Action Program. And in the last six years, more than 25,000 women and girls in southern Iraq have participated in the one-year literacy program that gives them the skills to read and write, and the confidence to participate fully in their communities.
The students are varied: girls who are responsible for caring for their younger siblings and can’t attend formal school; women who want to learn to read the Qu’ran; mothers who want to be able to read the signs and prices at the market; grandmothers who have never stepped into a classroom. And inevitably, these girls and women take away more from the program than the ability to read and write.
Like Shayma'a and her mother, Samira.
Shayma’a is eight years old, but she seems wise beyond her years. She has been coming with her mother Samira to a literacy center in Basra since last year.
“Ten months ago, my classmate told me that there will be a literacy center in our school building and a chance for a hundred women to learn. I went to my mother and told her to join this program, but she was feeling embarrassed. I convinced her to go and promised to go with her.”
Shayma’a used to accompany her mother everywhere because Samira needed her to read signs and help her. “But now she is able to do all these things by herself,” Shayma’a said, smiling.
Indeed, Samira, 52, is very proud of her and her daughter’s accomplishments. “This program gave me the opportunity to learn reading, writing, calculating, and improving myself in my community as a woman.” She is very grateful to the literacy center — but more than anything, to her daughter Shayma’a for opening the door to education.
Update: Hear the latest from women in the WAI program, who last month told Mercy Corps staff member Ali Hadi how the classes are changing their lives. (April 9, 2012)


Oh, Say Can You See?
Sure, everybody knows the first few lines of our National Anthem, but how many among us know all the verses as sung at your typical elementary/junior-senior high school event? CNN is reporting that there is a nation-wide effort underway to teach Americans the words of our National Anthem:
We applaud The First Lady for leading this effort. I only hope that I get to spare my students the terrible ordeal of having to listen to my off-key rendition of the Anthem...
Called the National Anthem Project, various workshops, in-school programs and public-service announcements are geared toward instilling in people the significance of the national anthem and its role in U.S. history. An emphasis will be placed on learning the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner."
"We want to remind all Americans to cherish our national treasures and to celebrate our unity and our values in song," said John Mahlmann, executive director of the National Association for Music Education, an organization of music teachers from preschool to graduate school.
The association is leading the effort and getting help from a variety of musicians, organizations and lawmakers and first lady Laura Bush, who is serving as honorary chairperson.
The effort kicked off Thursday on the west lawn of the Capitol with a performance of the anthem led by The Oak Ridge Boys and hundreds of school kids.
An Invitation: All writers and readers of education-related posts are invited to contribute to the sixth edition of The Carnival of Education. Please send your submissions to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] com. We should receive your contributions no later than 10:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, March 15, 2005. The Carnival midway will open here at the 'Wonks Wednesday morning. Get additional details about The Carnival here.
For the latest edition of The Carnival Of Education, please click here.
Main Page/Latest Posts


Today's early childhood educators are serving more children learning English as a second language than ever--in Head Start alone, nearly 30% of the children speak a language other than English at home.* To support second language learners and put them on the path to academic success, every teacher needs this popular, practical, and highly readable guidebook.Read more...
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Today's early childhood educators are serving more children learning English as a second language than ever--in Head Start alone, nearly 30% of the children speak a language other than English at home.* To support second language learners and put them on the path to academic success, every teacher needs this popular, practical, and highly readable guidebook.
Reflecting 10 years of dramatic change in early education--especially in critical areas like assessment and cultural diversity--the second edition of this bestseller gives teachers up-to-date research, usable information, and essential tools to meet the needs of second language learners in today's learning environments. Leading researcher Patton Tabors equips teachers with the foundation of knowledge they need to
- apply cutting-edge research to their everyday teaching practices
- address NAEYC's recommendations for responding to linguistic and cultural diversity
- use appropriate assessment techniques for children's first and second language, including an easy-to-use observation checklist (on the CD-ROM) to monitor children's English language learning over time
- discover ways to improve literacy instruction for all children, including literacy practices checklists (on the CD-ROM) that pinpoint areas needing curriculum support
- understand and attend to the particular needs of internationally adopted children
- conduct thought-provoking professional discussions with the book-club-ready study guide and materials (on the CD-ROM)
Teachers will also get updates on all the key topics covered in the first edition, including working with parents, understanding the process of second-language acquisition, and using the curriculum and classroom organization to facilitate English language and literacy learning. Ideal for professional development, this book is the best tool a teacher can have to support the language and literacy development and school success of second language learners while honoring their home languages and cultures."*English Language Learners Focus Group Report, 2002"
Get practical strategies on the accompanying DVD, One Child, Two Languages in Action. A featured book in our Launching Literacy Kit
See which domain of school readiness in the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework this book addresses.


Babies Follow the Scientific Method
Laura Schulz, an associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT, has always been interested in learning and education. At the age of 6, she tried teaching her 3-year-old sister to read, an effort that met with limited success.
“She did eventually learn to read, wrote a book, and is now even a book reviewer, but I think I had very little to do with it,” Schulz recalls. “It went swimmingly at the letter A, and by the time we got to the letter B she wanted to go play in the sandbox, so that was the end of that.”
Schulz has devoted her academic career to investigating how learning takes place during early childhood. Starting in infancy, children are quickly able to learn a great deal about how the world works, based on a very limited amount of evidence.
Schulz’s research, much of which she does at a “Play Lab” at Boston Children’s Museum, reveals that children, and even babies, inherently use many of the same strategies employed in the scientific method — a systematic process of forming hypotheses and testing them based on observed evidence.
“All of these abilities that we think of as scientific abilities emerged because of the hardest problem of early childhood learning, which is how to get accurate abstract representations from sparse, noisy data,” she says.
Exploring the world
Schulz became interested not only in how children learn from observed evidence, but also how they generate evidence through exploration. She has found that many of the components of the scientific method — isolating variables, recognizing when evidence is confounded, positing unobserved variables to explain novel events — are in fact core to children’s early cognition.
In one recent study, she investigated infants’ abilities to determine, from very sparse evidence, the properties of sets of objects. In the study, babies watched as an experimenter pulled a series of three balls, all blue, from a box of balls. Each ball squeaked when the experimenter squeezed it. The babies were then handed a yellow ball from the box.
When most of the balls in the box were blue, the babies squeezed the yellow ball, suggesting that they generalized the squeaking to the entire box of balls. However, if the balls in the box were mostly yellow, the babies were much less likely to try to squeeze them, showing they believed that the blue, squeaking balls were a rare exception.
Another recent experiment explored the value of offering lessons versus allowing children to explore on their own. In that study, Schulz found that children who were shown how to make a toy squeak were less likely to discover the toy’s other features than children who were simply given the toy with no instruction.
“There’s a tradeoff of instruction versus exploration,” she says. “If I instruct you more, you will explore less, because you assume that if other things were true, I would have demonstrated them.”
Although Schulz hopes that someday her work will lead to development of new education strategies, that is more of a long-term goal.
“We’re just trying to understand what fundamental principles govern learning and how children represent information and how they make inferences. I don’t think that we have yet the kinds of things where we can say, ‘Because of this, you, the classroom teacher, should do this,’” she says. “It really is basic science.”


Commentary: Why Ask Why About the Arts?
Published in TC Today - Volume 35, No. 1
Music provides intangible benefits by engaging the imagination and communicating ideas and emotions that words cannot adequately express
By Hal Abeles
Why ask the question?
Why should music (or any of the arts) be part of the school curriculum? Answers abound in the literature of music education professional groups or on the Web sites of advocates for the arts in schools. They cite strong empirical evidence that studying the arts is “good for kids.” Indeed, evidence suggests that music, when taught well, enhances almost every quality and trait we want in a fully functioning member of society, from creativity to test-taking ability to self-regulation.
My question is, “Why must we justify the place of music and the other arts in schools in the first place?” Pre-service music teachers often are asked to write a rationale for music in the curriculum. Yet we don’t ask students in math, literacy or science education to do this.
During the 2008 campaign, President Obama said, “In addition to giving our children the science and math skills they need to compete in the new global context, we should also encourage the ability to think creatively that comes from a meaningful arts education…” That’s a laudable stance, but it ties not only music but education in general too strongly to the singular goal of improving our economic competitiveness.
Beyond quantifiable and tangible outcomes, music provides intangible benefits by engaging the imagination and communicating ideas and emotions that words cannot adequately express. As Elliot Eisner says, the arts “are among the most powerful ways we become human and that is reason enough to earn them a place in our schools.”
Music and the other arts will struggle for their place in the curriculum as long as our political leaders believe the primary purpose of education is to produce a competitive workforce. How can we change that belief? Unfortunately, the answer is circular. There is evidence that children who receive a strong arts education understand the centrality of the arts in producing an intelligent and imaginative populace. We need to elect leaders who have had a strong education in music and the other arts.
Hal Abeles is Professor of Music Education


|10 Reasons Kids Benefit from Music Instruction
from the Elementary Classroom Teacher Resource Index
1) In a 1997 study of elementary students enrolled in an arts-based program, it was concluded that there was a definite correlation between students' rising math test scores and the length of time invested in arts education classes.
"Arts Exposure and Class Performance," Phi Delta Kappan, October, 1998.
2) A study published in 2000 revealed that music students possessing the ability to perform complex rhythms also are able to make faster and more accurate corrections in many academic and physical circumstances.
Center for Timing, Coordination, and Motor Skills, 2000.
3) A ten-year study indicates that students who study music achieve higher test scores regardless of socioeconomic background.
Dr. James Catterall, UCLA.
4) In a study measuring the effects of general music instruction, first grade students receiving daily music instruction scored higher on creativity tests than the control group receiving no music instruction.
K.L. Wolff, The Effects of General Music Education on the Academic Achievement, Perceptual-Motor Development, Creative Thinking, and School Attendance of First-Grade Children, 1992.
5) In a study to research the influence music teachers have on African-American students, it was discovered that thirty-six percent of surveyed minority students regarded music teachers as their role models compared to twenty-eight percent for English teachers, eleven percent
for elementary teachers, and seven percent for physical education teachers.
"Music Teachers as Role Models for African-American Students," Journal of Research in Music Education,
6) In 1991, a study was conducted to measure what effect music study had on student perception of personal achievement. Students educated with arts-focused curriculums reported significantly better perceptions about their academic abilities than students enrolled in a non-arts focused curriculum.
Pamela Aschbacher and Joan Herman, The Humanitas Program Evaluation, 1991.
7) In a study measuring the effects of music study on reading skill development, one group of elementary students was given musical training while the other group received training in discussion skills. After six months, the students receiving music instruction achieved a significant increase in reading test scores while the discussion skills group showed no change.
Sheila Douglas and Peter Willatts, Journal of Research in Reading, 1994.
8) Students who possess rhythmical skills have a tendency to plan, sequence, and coordinate actions better in their personal lives.
"Cassily Column," TCAMS Professional Resource Center, 2000.
9) In 1999, Columbia University conducted a study measuring the effect of music study on student behavior. Students enrolled in arts-based classes were found to be more cooperative with teachers and peers, more self-confident, and better able to express their ideas no matter what their socioeconomic level.
The Arts Education Partnership, 1999.
10) In a study published in Newsweek magazine, researchers indicated that during the early developmental years children's brain neurons are being "wired". This provides a window of opportunity which must not be missed if children are to achieve their full potential. "Circuits in different regions of the brain mature at different times. As a result, different circuits are most sensitive to life's experiences at different ages. Give your children the experiences they need when they need it and anything's possible. Stumble and all bets are off."
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Born into a well-connected musical family in 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach learned violin, harpsichord, and organ at a young age, first from his father, and then from his older brother Johann Christoph. The family was from Eisenach, a town in Thuringia in central Germany that was strongly associated with Martin Luther and the German Reformation. Bach absorbed the deep religious feeling of Eisenach, and would come to express it throughout his work.
Despite the early death of both parents, the young Bach was well positioned for a promising career. As a child, he received a broad music education with the support of his brother Johann Christoph. As an adolescent, Bach received a scholarship to sing with a choir in the northern German town of Lüneburg. At the age of 18, he became a court musician in Weimar, near his hometown. Then, within a few months, he took the post of organist with a church in nearby Arnstadt. Just a few years later, he moved again within the region – to the town of Mülhausen and another position as organist. Finally, in 1708, Bach was offered a prestigious post – concertmaster at the ducal court in Weimar, then among the most cultured in Europe.
This quick rise reveals two aspects of Bach’s personality. He was immensely talented, but apparently not always the most contented or cooperative employee! The historical record shows that conflicts often accompanied his sudden moves. In 1717, one such conflict led Bach to move from Weimar to a less sophisticated court, that of Prince Leopold von Anhalt-Köthen.
Bach’s new home was in the town of Köthen, somewhat distant from the region of his birth. He spent five years there, in what would prove to be a productive time. While in Köthen, for example, Bach wrote such masterworks as the Brandenberg Concertos and Well-Tempered Clavier.
In 1723, Bach accepted a position offered by the city council of Leipzig, an important commercial center in Saxony. Bach was appointed Cantor of Thomasschule, a leading educational institution, as well as Director of Music for two principal churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. This role led Bach to create much of his extraordinary religious music. In 1733, Bach also accepted the commission as royal composer to the court of Augustus III, ruler of Saxony, Poland, and Lithuania. The composer enjoyed renown in Germany and beyond, but remained based in Leipzig until his death in 1750.
Bach’s reputation then fell into eclipse. To most listeners in the classical era, his contrapuntal rhythms seemed hopelessly out of date. Some composers – such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Beethoven – did seek out and appreciate Bach’s music. However, in general, Bach was probably better remembered for having been an excellent organist, rather than for having been an excellent composer. (Bach was also remembered for his large family; he had married twice and fathered 20 children, some of whom also enjoyed notable careers in music.)
In the early romantic period, however, Bach’s work was rediscovered. For this, we owe thanks especially to Felix Mendelssohn and Louis Spohr, both of whom championed Bach’s music and brought it to wider audiences. It was soon recognized that much of Bach’s work – which had been created in various places and under various circumstances – was perilously close to being lost. The Bach Gesellschaft was formed in 1850, with the mission of finding, editing, and publishing the complete works of Bach.


The Columbia Space Shuttle disaster humbled many Americans, including many Fort Hays State University students. And while most believed that there was nothing they could do to help, two FHSU classes were thinking otherwise.
Two art classes, taught by Adele Rich, instructor of art, have taken this opportunity to put together a quilt made out of sympathy cards that they constructed for the victims' families. The cards will be displayed at the Johnson Space Center in a memorial that has been set up for the victims.
This is the 16th time since 1999 that Rich has completed the project with her art students. Every semester, at least one card quilt is prepared and sent to either a victim of a tragedy or his or her family. The idea originated after the shootings at Columbine High School. Rich felt compelled to show her support and sympathy.
"We needed to reach out, but there was so little that could be done," she said. "This was a way that our class could make a small difference."
So from that semester on, she has encouraged her students to watch the news and bring ideas for victims who could use their support. The victims can be local or national. The cards don't necessarily have to be sympathy. Welcome home, good luck or thank you cards can be sent as well.
After a few ideas are brought to the table, the classes vote separately on who will get their cards. Sometimes the classes choose the same people, and other times, they don't.
Although the cards are created by art students, many of them are not art majors, but are elementary education majors, which is a great way for Rich to keep the project alive.
"I encourage all my students to continue doing this project with their own students," she said.
She added that if each student carried this project into the classroom, it could become a very widespread good deed.
The project, while fun for the students, does teach skills as well. Rich said she incorporates many art methods as well as language skills into the card project. Students can create their cards using either mosaic or collage techniques, or a combination of both.
Mosaic art is using small pieces of different materials to make a complete object and a collage is using bigger pieces and overlapping them.
She also incorporates some language skills into the project by having the students write a thoughtful message on the back of the card.
The cards take about three class sessions to complete and are arranged on a bulletin board in the classroom in a pattern that resembles a quilt. Rich then takes a picture of it and sends it along with the cards to the victims' families. With the cards, she includes a cover letter explaining the purpose of the project and expressing her sympathy.
The students often participate in various other service projects connected to the tragedy. After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, students not only sent cards to the victims' families, but they also collected money for the Red Cross and donated blood.
"What I hope the students learn from doing this project is that they really can make a difference in other people's lives," she said. "They can have a positive impact on people."
As far as feedback is concerned, Rich has received some. She doesn't expect to hear back from the families, she said, but she is pleased when she does.
"It really makes me want to go on with the project," she said.
But Rich doesn't want to take credit for herself. She attributes the hard work to her students.
"The students do all the work," she said. "They put so much of their heart, talent and energy into the cards, and it's a great way for them to show a sense of sympathy, support and empathy towards the victims."


Almost half of Australia‟s working age population doesn’t have the reading, writing or numeracy skills to effectively participate in their workplace or community, a statistic speech pathologists aim to tackle during Speech Pathology Week.
Speech Pathology Australia National President Christine Stone said that despite our increased use of technology to communicate, literacy skills are still as important as ever.
“Poor literacy skills make it difficult to access an education, find a job and even take part in the community. Research has found that between 7 and 8 million Australians are in danger of being confined to low-wage jobs with little prospect of improvement due to literacy difficulties’.”
“During Speech Pathology Week, we want to encourage people who feel that perhaps their reading or writing skills aren’t what they should be, to take the first step and contact someone who can help – like a speech pathologist,” Ms Stone said.
Being literate means being able to understand and analyse what you read, as well as write in a variety of ways for different purposes, like sending text messages, writing shopping lists, completing forms and sending emails. Literacy difficulties can be due to an underlying communication problem, which then impact on someone’s ability to speak and write clearly.
“Speech pathologists have the specialised knowledge and experience needed to identify communication difficulties and to provide people with the help that they need to build critical language and literacy skills,” Ms Stone said.
Speech pathologists play a vital role in the development of key speaking and listening skills, including awareness of the sounds in words and language comprehension. These skills provide the foundation on which literacy is built.
In the community, speech pathologists often work as important members of literacy support teams. They assess an individual’s speech and language skills, and develop an individualised treatment/training plan that supports and complements other literacy programs.
If you are concerned about a friend of family member who might have literacy or communication difficulties, encourage them to visit a speech pathologist in your area or visit www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au.
About Speech Pathology Week 2011 ‘Literacy for Life’:
Speech Pathology Week 2011 (21 – 27 August) celebrates the speech pathology profession and the important role speech pathologists play in acquiring and maintaining literacy skills.
About Speech Pathology Australia
Speech Pathology Australia is the national peak body for more than 4,500 members.
The Association supports and regulates the ethical, clinical and professional standards of its members. The Association also lobbies and advocates for people with communication and swallowing difficulties.


COVINGTON - Newton County elementary school students are scheduled to be tested on their reading prowess sometime this week or next.
Kindergarten through fifth-grade students will take the second of three Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, or DIBELS, assessments between now and Jan. 24.
"DIBELS are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy development," said Ken Proctor, elementary curriculum director at the Newton County School System, in an e-mail. "They are designed to be short, one-minute fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills."
Students took the first set of tests in mid-August and will take the third, and last, set of the year in May.
"For each administration, the benchmarks are different in order to show the progress a child is making in reading; this is the reason it is called dynamic, as the measures can detect increments of improvement," Proctor said. "On a more frequent basis, students are progress-monitored using various DIBELS measures throughout the year."
Kindergarten and first-grade students are tested in letter naming and letter sound fluency; kindergartners also are tested in initial sound fluency; and kindergartners, first- and second graders are tested in nonsense word fluency. Grades one through five are all tested in oral reading fluency.
"The children read passages for the (oral reading fluency) measure that has been developed by the test developer," Proctor said. "Of course, for the other measures, they are also reading letters, making sounds, etc. as predetermined by the test developer."
NCSS has given the test at all schools since the 2005-06 school year, but this year will be a little different.
"All schools, beginning with the current school year, are using the electronic format, wherein the assessment is given via a Palm Pilot or Personal Data Assistant by a school staff member in grades kindergarten through three," Proctor said. "In fourth and fifth grades, the assessments are not electronic."
The one-minute assessments are given one-on-one in all grade levels.
"Most schools use a sweep method, where a team of staff members in the school administer the assessment," Proctor said. "It usually takes two or three days. In the lower grades, (the tests takes) probably five to eight minutes per child; in the upper grades, approximately five to 10 minutes per child."
For electronic version, the scores are instantaneous, and for the manual versions, teachers can score them "very quickly," Proctor said.
"When used as recommended, the results can be used to evaluate individual student development, as well as provide grade-level feedback toward validated instructional objectives," Proctor said. "Each measure has been thoroughly researched and demonstrated to be reliable and valid indicators of early literacy development and predictive of later reading proficiency to aid in the early identification of students who are not progressing as expected."
Michelle Floyd can be reached at email@example.com.
SideBar: At a glance
· What: DIBELS testing
· Grades: Kindergarten through fifth grade
· When: Jan. 14 to 24
· Where: At students' respective schools


Supplying Drinking Water
Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions
Supplying Safe Drinking Water
Did You Know?
|From San Diego to Santiago to Seville to Sydney, billions of people are facing shortages of clean water. More than one billion people have no access to clean drinking water. And things are getting worse.|
Experience this podcast:
Science for Kids
Hands on activities for young aspiring chemists
A magazine for high school students
In India and Bangladesh, drinking water is contaminated with arsenic. Three enterprising scientists have each recently devised a way to remove arsenic from drinking water. Discover how they did it.
Today, we take for granted that our tap water is free of deadly germs. A century ago, Edward Frankland saved thousands of lives by showing Londoners how to safeguard their water supply.
Our tap water may be safe to drink, but many of us prefer to filter it for a better taste. Do some tests to find out how filtered water and tapped water compare.
Summertime, and the living is easy – if you know which chemicals will keep the swimming pool clean.
Yesterday’s bath water is today’s crystal clear drinking water, thanks to chemists at the wastewater treatment plant.
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS®)
SciFinder®, a research tool produced by CAS (a division of the American Chemical Society), found 6381 references in the CAS databases on the topic of "water purification" published this year. The CAS databases cover references from more than 10,000 major scientific journals and 57 patent authorities worldwide. As an illustration of the global interest in this topic, approximately 23% of these references were Chinese and Japanese patent applications. www.cas.org
In the News
- Treating Sewage for Drinking Water
C&EN, Jan 28, 2008
- Keeping Water Pure
C&EN, Dec. 10, 2007
- Keeping It Clean
C&EN, Dec. 10, 2007
- Chemist wins arsenic challenge
C&EN Feb 12, 2007
- Filtering out the bad stuff
C&EN Apr 23, 2007
- Making Troubled Waters Potable
C&EN Apr 17, 2006
- History of drinking water treatment
- History of water disinfection
- Book on water history
- The History of Water Filters - Introduction
- Water History
- Baker M.N., Taras M.J., 1981, The quest for pure water – The history of the twentieth century, volume I and II, Denver: AWWA
- Christman K., 1998, The history of chlorine, Waterworld 14: page 66-67
- Crittenden J.C., Rhodes Trussell R., Hand D.W., Howe K.J., Tchobanoglous G., 2005, Water treatment: Principles and design, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Diodorus Siculus, 1939, Library of history, volume III, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, UK
- EPA, 2000, The history of drinking water treatment, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water (4606), Fact Sheet EPA-816-F-00-006, United States
- Outwater A., 1996, Water: A natural history, Basic Books, New York, USA
Sources for this podcast
- Countering an Approaching Water Crisis
Innovations Report, March 25, 2008
- Water Under Pressure
Nature, March 19, 2008
- Materials Science of Water Purification – Symposium JJ
Materials Research Society, April 18-19, 2006
- Science and technology for water purification in the coming decades
Nature, Dec. 14, 2007
- Simple Telemedicine for Developing Regions: Camera Phones and Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices for Real-Time, Off-Site Diagnosis
Analytical Chemistry, April 11, 2008
- Nitrification in Premise Plumbing: Role of Phosphate, pH and Pipe Corrosion
Environmental Science & Technology, Feb. 20, 2008
- Plugging in to more water use
Environmental Science & Technology, February. 20, 2008
- Metal pollution is toxic for endangered eels
Environmental Science & Technology, May. 7, 2008
- Why is global sanitation so elusive?
Environmental Science & Technology, June. 11, 2008
- Pipe scales release hazardous metals into drinking water
Environmental Science & Technology, January. 23, 2008
- The World’s Water
Special issue Environmental Science & Technology, June 15, 2008
- SciFinder®, from CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society.
Meet the Scientists


There's little doubt that J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books has inspired students of all ages to read. Janet Amenhauser, a teacher at Grace N. Rogers School in Hightstown (Mercer County) decided to use the students' interest in the Harry Potter books and an already successful incorporation of the Potter theme into a student-created book of math problems. The Hogwarts Math Club is designed to encourage students to be risk takers and improve their math problem-solving skills. Thanks to a $6,054 grant from the NJEA Frederick L. Hipp Foundation for Excellence in Education, 30 students and parents will begin their journey into the land of the Hogwarts beginning in September.
Students will be "sorted" into the four houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin) of the Potter books' students. Each house will compete for points by solving problems found on mathematics-related web sites, constructing Hogwarts products, and creating Hogwarts math challenges. Among the various activities included in this project are:
- Using measurement and geometry skills to create "sorting hats," "quidditch brooms," "house banners," and Norbert dragons;
- At home, with parental support, students will use their knowledge of fractions as they follow a recipe to make snacks for club members;
- At club meetings students will take turns using laptop computers to earn points by solving problems on dynamath.com or mathforum.com;
- Students will create Hogwarts math challenges for the Hogwarts Math Fair.
The project has in-kind support from the school principal who is financing copying costs and the PTA which is financing refreshments at the fair and whose members will serve as volunteers at the Math Fair.
For further information, contact:
Janet Y. Amenhauser


What to Do in Case Cultural Diversity Enters Your Institution?
1. Open all doors and windows. Receive the new influences in the same spirit of curiosity and receptiveness that have been at the core of most major developments in the history of music across the globe.
2. Set realistic, tangible aims and targets for pilot projects or long-term initiatives, and relate them to the key motivation for including these activities in terms of artistic, personal, and organizational outcomes.
3. Be aware that cultural diversity does not refer only to many musical sounds and structures but also to a wealth of approaches to teaching and learning that can benefit the entire institution.
4. Quality criteria are complicated within traditional conservatory subjects; activities in cultural diversity call for an even more flexible set of criteria, with fitness for purpose and relevance to context.
5. The success of cultural diversity in higher music education also depends on its position in the structure, ranging from optional workshops to credited parts of the core curriculum.
6. Cultural diversity has been high on the cultural and political agenda for some time. Placing it carefully in the political and funding climate will benefit the activities and the institution at large.
7. As a new area of development, cultural diversity lends itself very well to making connections in the community surrounding the institute, in the national arts world, and in international networks.
8. Experience shows that successful initiatives in cultural diversity center around inspired people, well supported in the hierarchy. This has implications for leadership, organization, and management.
9. Cultural diversity may lead to the formation of isolated islands within the institution. Constantly involving staff and students in planning, process, and results will help to avert this danger.


1870: The Education Act required the establishment of non-denominational elementary schools for children aged five to 13 - nationwide. Schools could charge parents no more than nine pence a week to educate a child.
1880: Attendance was made compulsory until the age of 10.
1891: Elementary education effectively became free.
1918: Leaving age was raised to 14.
1944: Butler's Education Act sort to encourage the "spiritual, mental and physical" well-being of the community. It created a "tripartite", hierarchical system of grammar, technical and secondary modern schools. Selection was decided by an exam taken at the age of 11. The school leaving age was raised to 15.
1951: General Certificate of Education (GCE) O-levels and A-levels were introduced, replacing the School Certificate and the Higher School Certificate.
These were primarily grammar school exams. Some education authorities established their own leaving examinations for youngsters not taking GCEs.
1964: Harold Wilson's newly-elected Labour government promised to set up comprehensive schools, combining pupils of all ability levels in one school that served a specific catchment area.
1973: School leaving age was raised to 16.
In 1976 another Wilson administration compelled all local authorities to introduce comprehensives but this legislation was repealed by the Tories in 1979.
1965: The Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) was introduced for secondary modern pupils to cater for those not sitting O-levels.
1988: The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) replaced O-levels and CSEs.
The National Curriculum, stipulating subjects to be studied until the age of 16, was also introduced.
1994: An A* grade was added to GCSEs to differentiate between top and lower A grades.
1995: The government introduced National Curriculum Tests, often called SATís, for all children aged 7, 11 and 14 (tests for seven year olds were first tried in 1991).
1996: General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) were offered as a more work-based alternative for non-academic students.
1997: The National Literacy Strategy was introduced in England. It aimed to raise literacy standards to those of the UK's main competitors.
2000: Advanced Subsidiary (AS-level) exams were brought in for 17 year olds. These were qualifications in their own right but also served as a halfway stage in the A-level course, unlike the Advanced Supplementary exams they replaced.
Plans were also revealed to replace the lower tiers of GNVQ with vocational GCSEs, with the stated aim of putting academic and vocational education on a par.
2002: Several hundred A-level papers were re-graded amid fears that the reforms have been rushed through.
2004: Mike Tomlinson, the former inspector of schools in England, proposed replacing GCSEs, A-levels and the "soup" of vocational qualifications with a four-part diploma for 14 to 19 year olds. It called for "core skills", such as numeracy and literacy, to be compulsory before pupils can qualify. If it went through, the plans would alter the English education system more radically than any others since 1944. However, Mr Tomlinson said the changes would be "evolutionary, not revolutionary", taking around 10 years to implement.
Courtesy of Lee Bryant, Director of Sixth Form, Anglo-European School, Ingatestone, Essex
"History of English Education". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web.


Chess is one of the oldest rivalry games in the world. It enjoys equal reputation with I-go, Chinese Chess and Shogi of Japan. Generally, people think this kind of game emerged in northern India before 500 A.D. It was much easier to play the game then. The chess pieces represented infantry, warriors, chariots and elephants of Ancient India. On the chessboard, the king and his vizier (i.e. the present queen) reign over everything. According to most of the historians, chess was gradually spread to middle Asia, China, Persia and Europe from India. In the 11th century, it prevailed in Constantinople and became a pastime favored by Alexis Comnene, the king of Byzantium.
Since the game was brought to the West, names and designs of some chess pieces were connected to the strata of the feudal Europe. The king and the pawns were certainly unchanged. But the elephant, which was a kind of heavy force in the Indian army, was replaced by the bishop in the West. Bishops were powerful in churches of the middle ages while nobody knew the mightiness of elephants in wars. When describing the 2nd Punic War, Levy, Chess historian mentioned that Hannibal made us of beast forces in the fighting on the mainland of Italy. Warriors on the Indian chessboard were turned into knights, which was universally recognized as a representation of chivalry. Ancient chariots were turned into castles (“turn” in German, “torre” in Spanish and “tour” in French are all “castle”), which were called “rook” in English (castle-shape chess piece). This word originates from “ruhk” in Persian (meaning chariot) or from “rocco” in Italian (meaning castle). Finally vizier was renamed queen, who was an important role in the royal court in the middle ages.
Late in the 15th century, the rules of chess underwent a spontaneous change in Europe.
The most important change was that the queen took on a thrillingly powerful role on the chess board rather than leeching off the king. Besides, pawns can move 2 squares at the start; bishops can freely move on the bias; the king can exchange location with rooks. Those changes show that the rules of chess in the 150 countries and regions of today’s world are alike. These rules have been recognized by the 5 million FIDE registered chess players. Till the 20th century, chess was always regarded as the game for the noble and the rich with leisure. However, since the October Revolution in 1917, the Soviet Government attached importance to chess and promoted it with much effort. The game has become popular gradually. There are 5 million registered chess players at FIDE and hundreds of millions of people who can play chess (according to the statistics of FIDE at the 1990s, the number was around 3 hundred million all over the world), and most of them are fans of this game except for the limited number of top players who regard chess as art and lifelong career.
It is true that in USSR and Russia, which took over the flag of “Chess Kingdom” from USSR, chess is a national sport and respected as the “National Board Game”. It is even more popular than football. With the drive of the country and its people, since 1940s, grandmasters of USSR had more or less controlled the chess circles worldwide, though their superiority were soon challenged by power chess countries like the UK and the USA.
Among all board games, chess is an ideal game that integrates strategies and skills. By comparison, we can see the victory of backgammon is dependent on the throw of dices, which is involuntary; the scale of draughts restrains the technical victory. Only I-go, Chinese Chess and Shogi of Japan can run parallel with chess in terms of idea, science and depth.
Chess can be regarded as a game integrating art, science, knowledge and inspiration as a whole. When analyzing chess games, we practice logic. When playing the game and utilizing strategies, we need a creative inspiration. But unlike crossword, chess is not a purely test of character intelligence. The rivalry of chess plunges the two parties into a bloodless war, which is an intense fight of their thoughts and will and a fortitudinous contest of their physical strength.
The rules of playing chess are changeful and fun. It is good for the intelligence development of the youth. Therefore, there are many countries that have placed chess on the primary school curriculum.


Founded on the premise that education, especially literacy, should be accessible to all students in a democratic society; the seventh edition of Multiple Paths to Literacy is written to help teachers address the literacy needs of the diverse learners that populate today's K-12 classrooms. To meet every student's literacy needs, teachers must learn to differentiate classroom instruction. According to Joan Gipe, differentiating instruction requires knowing where students are in their literacy development and using multiple forms of literacy to meet those needs - including text-based materials, technology, visual literacy, and the performing arts. Multiple Paths to Literacy provides teachers with an analytical approach and practical strategies to recognize learners ' literacy strengths and needs, identify any students with special needs, and plan and differentiate instruction that takes into account each student's talents and multiple intelligences to tailor that instruction.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Part I Foundations
Chapter 1 Fundamental Aspects of Literacy Learning
Chapter 2 The Analytic Process: Preparation for Differentiating Instruction
Chapter 3 Linguistic Perspectives on Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners
Chapter 4 Physical, Psychological, and Environmental Factors Affecting Literacy Development
Chapter 5 Formal Literacy Assessment: Indirect Measures
Chapter 6 Informal Literacy Assessment: Direct Measures
Part II The Major Domains
Chapter 7 Early Literacy Skills
Chapter 8 The Reading/Writing Connection and the Writing Process
Chapter 9 Word Recognition
Chapter 10 Meaning Vocabulary
Chapter 11 Reading Comprehension: Foundations
Chapter 12 Strategic Reading for Narrative Text
Chapter 13 Strategic Reading for Expository Text
Chapter 14 Study Skills and Test-Taking Strategies
Format: Alternate Binding
This title is currently unavailable on myPearsonStore.
We recommend Multiple Paths to Literacy: Assessment and Differentiated Instruction for Diverse Learners, K-12, 8th Edition as a replacement.


(PhysOrg.com) -- Many children, when learning to read, are encouraged by their teachers to retell all they remember about a story in order to build their comprehension skills. But can similar comprehension strategies be applied to mathematics? Researchers at North Carolina State University say that when teachers work with kids to talk through math problems, kids do a better job of absorbing and understanding the content.
“Current methods of teaching math - with examples and activities - are important, but we’re neglecting the communications component around it,” says Dr. Paola Sztajn, professor of mathematics education at NC State. “Helping children verbally work through math problems and articulate problem solving is an important aspect of their understanding.”
However, according to Sztajn, in order to reinforce this aspect of learning, you first need to reach the teachers. “We need to educate teachers how to do ‘math talk’ in classrooms and create ways for them to integrate it into their curriculum,” Sztajn says.
Sztajn and her team recently received a five-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to launch the program - Project AIM: All Included in Mathematics - and explore this new method of teaching. The researchers will develop a “math talk” curriculum for second-grade teachers across Wake County, and then work with the district’s math coaches to provide professional development to all second-grade teachers. The teachers will undergo approximately 40 hours of professional development over the course of a year to prepare to incorporate “math talk” into lessons.
“We specifically chose second grade because it has been shown to be a pivotal time in children’s development - especially in the areas of math and literacy,” says Dr. Ellen McIntyre, head of the Department of Elementary Education at NC State and a researcher on the project. “After second grade, students go from doing simple math - addition and subtraction - into more complicated areas such as multiplication. We need to make sure our students have a strong foundation before moving forward. However, the idea is to apply the ‘math talk’ concept to other grade levels and other types of math content.”
Working with Sztajn and McIntyre are Dr. Angela Wiseman and Dr. Steve Amendum, both assistant professors of literacy education at NC State.
“What makes this research unique is that we’re taking experts who specialize in elementary math education and experts in elementary literacy education and combining the knowledge from both groups to help kids learn how to talk about math that will ultimately help them learn more mathematics,” McIntyre explains.
Explore further: Quantum compute this—Mathematicians build code to take on toughest of cyber attacks


LA Phil, USC and HOLA Begin Research Collaboration to Study Effects of Musical Training on Children
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), announce a longitudinal research collaboration to investigate the emotional, social and cognitive effects of musical training on childhood brain development.
The five-year research project, Effects of Early Childhood Musical Training on Brain and Cognitive Development, will provide USC researchers with an important opportunity to provide new insights and add rigorous data to an emerging discussion about the role of early music engagement in learning and brain function.
Through a collaboration with the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles at Heart of Los Angeles (YOLA at HOLA) program, a partnership between the LA Phil and HOLA which provides free instruments and musical training to children from the Rampart District of Los Angeles, researchers with the USC Brain and Creativity Institute — led by acclaimed neuroscientists Hanna Damasio and Antonio Damasio — will track how children respond to music from the very onset of their exposure to systematic, high intensity music education.
Starting when the children are between the age of 5 and 7, to ages 11 and 12, the researchers will use standard psychological assessments and advanced brain imaging techniques to track brain, emotional and social development. The group of children involved in the YOLA at HOLA program will be compared to a control group of children matched in age, socio-economic status and cognitive abilities, but with no musical training.
All children will be followed for five consecutive years, providing a rare chance for researchers to discover the effects of musical training on emotional, social and cognitive aspects of development as they actually occur, rather than inferring later-life effects. The BCI team began working with YOLA at HOLA students in September 2012.
USC University Professors Hanna and Antonio Damasio, directors of the Brain and Creativity Institute at USC and the Dornsife Neuroimaging Institute at USC, and professors of psychology and neurology in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, will supervise the study. Dr. Assal Habibi of the Brain and Creativity Institute at USC, herself a musician and a neuroscientist, and Dr. Beatriz Ilari of the USC Thornton School of Music, a musician and music educator, along with graduate students and research assistants, will work directly with YOLA children and their families, and collect data for the assessments. Research results and summaries of findings will be reported to the scientific community and will be made available to the public.


Getty Trust, in full The J. Paul Getty Trust, private operating foundation that was founded by the American oil billionaire J. Paul Getty in 1953 for the purpose of establishing the J. Paul Getty Museum, which opened to the public in 1954. The Getty Trust has become a multibillion-dollar philanthropic foundation dedicated to enlarging and exhibiting its deceased founder’s art collection in the Getty Museum. The trust also funds and operates ongoing programs of conservation, research, documentation, and education in the visual arts. It is headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif.
J. Paul Getty began collecting artworks in the 1930s and displayed them in his ranch house in Malibu, Calif. His museum occupied a wing added to the ranch house, but the collection eventually outgrew that space, so Getty built a new museum in Malibu that opened in 1974. This second J. Paul Getty Museum was a lavish re-creation of the Villa dei Papiri, a Roman villa uncovered in the town of Herculaneum, which had been buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ad 79. Getty died in 1976 and bequeathed the bulk of his fortune—about $700 million worth of stock in the Getty Oil Company—to the museum. Legal wrangles followed, but when the Getty Trust actually received the bequest in 1982, it had grown to $1.2 billion, making the Getty Museum perhaps the most richly endowed cultural institution in the world. The trust also received part of the proceeds from the sale of the Getty Oil Company to Texaco Inc. for $10 billion in 1984. The trust’s endowment totaled more than $4 billion by the late 1990s.
In 1983 the trust diversified its activities, establishing institutes specializing in art restoration, art historical research and documentation, and art education. The trust then decided to construct a complex of buildings to house a new, enlarged J. Paul Getty Museum as well as the other operating programs. After 14 years of planning and construction, the Getty Center, a six-building campus set on a hilltop in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, opened to the public in 1997. The buildings were designed by the American architect Richard Meier in a restrained modernist style.
The J. Paul Getty Museum occupies the largest building in the complex. The museum contains European paintings, sculpture, drawings, and decorative arts from before 1900, as well as illuminated manuscripts and photographs. The museum’s collections reflect Getty’s preference for Renaissance and Baroque paintings and French furniture. (Getty’s collection of Greek and Roman antiquities remains in the Roman villa in Malibu.)
The other buildings of the Getty Center house five institutes and a grant program. The Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities contains a large library and archives and supports interdisciplinary research in art history and the related humanities. The Getty Conservation Institute conducts and supports scientific research and training in the conservation of art, architecture, and archaeological sites. The Getty Information Institute develops computerized databases of art historical information. The Getty Education Institute for the Arts promotes art education in schools. The Getty Leadership Institute for Museum Management offers management training for professionals from all types of museums.
The Getty Grant Program supports projects around the world involving research in the history and understanding of art and its conservation.


The Texas Education Code defines dyslexia in the following way: Dyslexia means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity.
A request for a dyslexia evaluation may be made at any time during or after receiving intervention if the student is not responding to the intervention and demonstrates characteristics of dyslexia. Parent or guardian requests for dyslexia evaluation should be made to the Section 504 Campus Coordinator by the parent.
Serving the Student with Dyslexia
Mansfield ISD provides a program for all students with dyslexia. Each student is served by a trained reading specialist on the home campus. The MISD Dyslexia Program includes the components of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension strategies.
The instructional strategies utilize research-based, explicit, multisensory phonetic methods and a variety of writing and spelling components to meet the specific learning needs of each individual student.
Instruction is organized and presented in a way that follows a logical, sequential plan and proceeds at a rate commensurate with each student’s needs, ability level, and demonstration of progress.
- MISD Dyslexia Manual
- TEA Dyslexia Handbook
- §504 Child Find Notice
- Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA)
- International Dyslexia Association
- Rite Flight: A Classroom Comprehension Program
- Education Service Center Region XI
No two students are alike. Some students, in fact, face unique challenges every day as they attempt to succeed in the classroom. Dyslexia is one of several distinct learning differences that Mansfield ISD constructs a comprehensive plan to combat.
Get In Touch
Staci Buck, Director of Response to Intervention & Dyslexia Services
Address | 1016 Magnolia Street, Mansfield, TX 76063
Phone | 817-299-4389


Written by Shalini Saxena on 27 July 2018
Gurur Brahma, Guru Vishnuh,
Gurur Devo Maheshwaraha,
Gurur Sakshat Parabrahma,
Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha.
Guru-Shishya Parampara is an age old tradition in India which has existed for centuries and has transformed over the years. The tradition reinstates a sense of belongingness towards ones teacher and worshiping the Guru as God. It also meant spending the entire duration of education at the abode of the Guru until the student attains perfection at the art or skill he is learning. Though the tradition has evolved with the modern education system taking over but the Indian music education still depicts this bond as ‘the one of eternal respect towards the Guru’.
From the Treta Yuga, Ramayana has mentions of the Gurukul system and Lord Rama’s Guru Rishi Vishwamitra. Also, scriptures about Dwapara Yuga talk about Lord Krishna’s Guru Rishi Sandipani. The teacher-disciple relationship is a divine bond which has a spiritual and religious significance in our country. Guru-Shishya parampara is a Sanskrit phrase in which shishya literally translates to ‘student of a guru’ while parampara refers to ‘an uninterrupted succession’. Thus the lineage is simply passing the wisdom from a succession of Gurus to their Shishyas through oral tradition.
Maukhik Parampara or the ancient oral tradition remained the only form of propagating Indian Classical Music for many centuries. There was no written curriculum for music education and the Gurus transferred their knowledge to the Shishya orally or verbally. The students had to grasp and absorb the knowledge by listening to the instructions and musical wisdom uttered by their revered Gurus.
Indian Classical music has always laid deep emphasizes on the significance of Guru-Shishya Parampara. It is believed that to learn music deeply and truly one has to surrender themselves to their Gurus. The Parampara delineates the Guru as the supreme power and the student shows eternal respect towards his knowledge-father. Many World renowned artists continue to keep their identity attached with their Gurus.
Over the years, both the forms of Indian Classical music Hindustani as well as Carnatic have followed a remodelled version of the Guru Shishya tradition. Though the concept of Gurukul system has faded away in most forms of education, the propagation of Indian music has continued to rely on this bond which is much deeper than a usual teacher-student relationship. The Gharanas in Hindustani and the local ‘Paatu’ teacher tradition in Carnatic music carry various aspects from the lineage like the maukhik parampara, eternal respect towards the teacher, students attaching their Guru’s name to their identity and much more.
The teacher-student relationship in Indian music is much more than just imparting the technique, style and aesthetics of music. The essence of this bond is sheer devotion, love and hard work. Both Guru and Shishya grow in the process, the student transforms through his Guru’s knowledge and the Shishya keeps his Guru’s teachings alive. Undoubtedly, the Guru-Shishya relationship holds almost a spiritual place in Indian culture.
The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters,
the hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters everyday!
Respecting this power of the Gurus and to honour those who have made a huge impact as a teacher in the world of Indian Classical Music, the Shankar Mahadevan Academy introduced Gurukripa Awards last year. Gurukripa Awards are an effort to recognise the immense contributions of Gurus who have strived over the years to create the next generation of talented musicians.
On the occasion of Guru Poornima, we express our gratitude to all our dedicated Gurus who enrich the lives of their students by spreading the ‘Joy of Music’.
Wishing all our revered Gurus a very Happy Guru Poornima!!


Science for Kids is a brilliant new website, which aims to make science a fun subject for children (as it always should be!).
The site is full of simple, rhyming poems that help to communicate important scientific ideas to children of elementary school/primary school age, in a clear, fun and stress-free way.
Each page also includes a short glossary and facts page to complement the poem and its subject. What’s more, each page is also available in a downloadable pdf format (COMING SOON!) - which is ideal for printing out for use in the classroom or at home with your kids.
So what are you waiting for? Click on one of the subject areas along the top of the page to get started. The individual pages will then be listed in the white border on the left
If you enjoy these fun poems, please come back again, and please spread the word by linking to Science for Kids!


Movement Is Our Method! From Eurythmy Teacher Laura Radefeld
Green Meadow Waldorf School does not supplement our curriculum with movement: our curriculum IS movement. Starting with the youngest children in the Early Childhood section, our pedagogical approach recognizes that healthy, self-initiated movement is the best foundation for physical and cognitive development at every age. The Waldorf School’s curriculum and method of teaching recognizes that nimble, imaginative, full-body movement in the youngest child becomes nimble dexterity in thought after puberty, and that the capacities of free and responsible action in young adulthood are developed through an artistic, holistic education based on movement.
Waldorf Schools throughout the world are grounded in a commitment to movement and are being recognized as leaders in cutting-edge learning techniques, though Waldorf Schools have been working this way since their founding in 1919.
Every subject in the Waldorf School develops foundational skills through movement. A subject unique to Waldorf Schools is eurythmy, a movement art that integrates language, music, geometry, and spatial awareness in lively weekly classes from Early Childhood through High School. Artistically, students learn to use their whole body to listen, speak, sing, perceive, and think. In First Grade, students learn eurythmy movement through the rich language of fairy tales, Sixth Graders learn by moving complex geometric forms collaboratively with classmates, and High School students learn to perceive and express the inner nature of poetry, music, and themes from the curriculum through expressive choreography and gesture. Being in touch with the expressive capacities of the body is to be in touch with a way of intuitive understanding. As students’ capacities for higher cognition develop through thinking, eurythmy supports students healthy thinking through highly conscious movement.
Friday April, 19, 2013 at 10:14AM
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The portrait used for this stamp design is taken from a reproduction of a bust by Houdon.
At his demand, Thomas Jefferson's tombstone reads, "author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia." School students know Jefferson for the above and far more.
Elected to the Second Continental Congress, Jefferson was named to head a committee of five charged with preparing the Declaration of Independence. He was the primary author. The initial draft was amended in consultation with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Returning to Virginia, Jefferson served in the House of Delegates until 1779.
While the Revolutionary War was underway, Jefferson sought to liberalize Virginia's laws. His bill to create a free system of tax-supported elementary education for all except slaves was defeated, as well as bills to modernize the curriculum at the College of William and Mary and to create a public library. In 1779, he introduced a bill on religious liberty that touched off turmoil in Virginia that lasted for eight years. The bill provided "that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions on matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." Those opposing the bill thought it an attack on Christianity. The bill passed 1786, mainly through the efforts of James Madison.
Jefferson was elected governor of Virginia in 1779 and retired from the position two years later. Later a member of Congress, his proposals on units of currency and a coinage led to the adoption of the dollar rather than the pound as the basic monetary unit in the United States. Although a slave holder, he proposed that slavery be excluded from all the American western territories. The provision was defeated narrowly in 1784.
From 1784 to 1789 he lived in France, succeeding Benjamin Franklin as minister to France in 1785. Congress confirmed him as secretary of state in the first Washington administration without Jefferson's knowledge. He accepted reluctantly. Jefferson was at odds with Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, whom he suspected (with other Federalists) of a secret plan to return a form of monarchy to America. Jefferson retired from the cabinet in 1793.
With growing opposition to policies of George Washington, Jefferson welcomed Washington's decision not to accept a third term as president and became the candidate of the Democratic-Republican Party. John Adams, Federalist, narrowly won the electoral college victory and, as runner up, Jefferson became vice president. The election of 1800 ended in a tie, with the House of Representatives choosing Jefferson. His presidency was marked by simplicity and frugality. The Louisiana Purchase was made during his first term. Among successes of his second term were the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Tripolitan War.
Retiring from the presidency in 1809, he set about developing the University of Virginia. He conceived it, planned it, designed it, and supervised both its construction and the hiring of its faculty.