Play 20 questions with a theme — for example, ancient cities, state capitals, or mammals. This is a great way to keep the whole family engaged and encourages kids to do some research prior to mealtime. Check out more conversation starters from the GreatSchools staff.
By GreatSchools Staff
While your child pushes her peas around her plate, you could be boosting her academic skills. Numerous studies show that children who regularly eat meals with their families have a larger vocabulary and score higher on academic achievement tests. Dinnertime is not just about sharing good-for-you food, however — it's about what happens at the table.
For years psychologists, teachers, counselors, and dieticians have touted the benefits of family meals. When families take the time to eat together, they generally consume healthier foods and engage in conversations that strengthen their bonds. Kids pick up social skills, while parents and siblings learn what's going on in each other's lives. And the benefits of family dinners extend to academic skills too.
Researchers at Harvard University and Washington University, as part of the Home-School Study of Language and Literacy Development, gathered and analyzed data over a number of years to see what effects eating together as a family has on children's communication and academic skills. Diane Beals and Patton Tabors found that 3- and 4-year-olds whose family members exposed them to "rare" words — such as boxer, wriggling, and tackle — scored higher on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test at age 5 than those who weren't exposed to such words. And children who were exposed to rich vocabulary at mealtimes at ages 3, 4, and 5 were more likely to have better verbal skills up through sixth grade.
In 2000, researchers at the University of Illinois found that children ages 7 to 11 who did well on school achievement tests were the ones who ate meals and snacks with their families. In a 1994 Louis Harris and Associates survey of 2,000 high school seniors, those who ate dinner with their families four or more times a week scored better on tests than those who had family dinners three or fewer times a week. In a Harvard study that followed 65 children over eight years, researchers looked at a host of activities — play, story time, family events, and family dinners — to see which fostered healthy child development the most. Family dinners came out ahead.
Family meals provide that rare opportunity to have longer conversations. And longer conversations, researchers say, allow children to hear words they may not be familiar with and to enhance their linguistic development. Children are more likely to learn new vocabulary by figuring out how someone is using words in context rather than receiving direct instruction or dictionary definitions.
In her research, Beals looked at the effect of families having conversations with what she calls "rich content": "It could be discussing a trip to the zoo or seeing an orchestra perform 'Peter and the Wolf,' bringing in words like trombone and violin, giving children the opportunity to make connections between words and real-life events," she says. Children also need context to stretch their vocabulary. For example, if a mother tells her young child not to sing at the table because it's rude, the child begins to understand what rude means. With older kids, discussing current events or even homework assignments can expose them to new phrases.
Extended conversations aren't just for the dinner table. Driving in the car, playing at the park, and getting ready for bed are also prime opportunities to connect with your child. The key is to be willing to engage in these conversations whenever and wherever they may occur.
Children thrive on rituals, which makes family dinners especially appealing to them. When families eat together, parents can serve as role models by demonstrating social skills, eliminating distractions (like the computer, video games, and TV), and promoting healthy eating habits (your child is more likely to eat veggies if you eat them too) and good table manners.
With soccer practice, homework, and parents working long hours, it can be difficult to schedule regular family meals. Start with small steps — designate one night a week as family dinner night. The meal doesn't have to be fancy, and it can be at home or a restaurant. If you're eating at home, make it a group effort by having everyone help with the preparation and cleanup. If you keep it simple, it will be easier to focus on spending time together.
If the typical answer to "What did you learn in school today?" is "Nothing" in your household, you may be wondering how to spark discussions at the dinner table. Here are a few suggestions:


Using multimodal analysis to unravel a silent child’s learning.
Early Childhood Practice: The Journal for Multi-Professional Partnerships, 7(2) pp. 5–16.
Full text available as:
Although the English Foundation Stage Curriculum for children aged 3 to 5 years recognises that children learn through talk and play and through ‘movement and all their senses’ (DfEE & QCA, 2000: 20), there is comparatively little theoretical understanding of how children learn through diverse ‘modes’, such as body movement, facial expression, gaze, the manipulation of objects and talk, and there is little practical guidance on how practitioners can support children’s ‘multimodal’ learning. Indeed, mounting research evidence indicates that since the introduction of a national early years curriculum and early years assessment schemes, practitioners have felt under increased pressure to focus on children’s verbal skills in order to provide evidence of children’s literacy and numeracy skills in preparation for primary education (see Flewitt, 2005a & 2005b).
In the context of these changes, this article relates the story of Tallulah, a 3-year-old girl with a late July birthday, who, like many summer-born children in England, spent one year in an early years setting before moving to primary school aged just 4 years. The article draws on data collected as part of an ESRC-funded study that explored the different ‘modes’ young children use to make and express meaning in the different social settings of home and a preschool playgroup (Flewitt, 2003). Examples are given of how Tallulah communicated her understandings at home through skilful combinations of talk, gaze direction, body movement and facial expression, and how others in the home supported Tallulah’s learning. These are then compared with examples of how Tallulah communicated in playgroup, primarily by combining the silent modes of gaze, body movement and facial expression. The article identifies how the different social settings of home and preschool impacted upon her choices and uses of different expressive modes.
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- Music Instruction search results
Music instruction teaches adults and children to play musical instruments such as the piano, guitar, violin, and flute. There are many different ways for people to learn to play these instruments from teachers. Some music instruction companies also teach beginning students to sing in key with other instruments or play percussion on beat.
Some students find that they learn best by taking lessons directly from a teacher. Others, however, find that they learn best by using online, video, or software instruction. There are several advantages to learning online. It often costs less than hiring a private teacher. It gives students the ability to study at home. It also makes it possible for students to take the same courses over and over again so that they become ingrained.
Some of the online music instruction content is even free, which makes it possible for people to learn about different instruments before making a financial investment.
Students that choose to learn to play piano or guitar online might also decide to hire a tutor that can explain difficult concepts, help them read musical notes, and train their voices. Some teachers instruct group classes of students while others focus on one-on-one training.
If you are interested in learning about the different types of musical instruction offered in your area, then you can search the internet for class that offer voice and instrument training. Be sure to also explore online, software, and video options. Those that fit your learning style could help you learn more quickly while saving money.
If you are a teacher providing lessons for anyone learning a string instrument, become a member of our association. Offering the proper resources for you to teach students your passion for string instruments.
Music instruction can train the mind to become more disciplined. Music training can also unleash incredible joy and self-expression. Playing piano can heal an audience in a way medicine cannot. Violin or voice instruction can be powerful tool to soothe the emotions of listeners. A teacher that is proficient in guitar can teach students in a large class or private lesson. Audiences that hear percussion can be inspired and stirred to heroic action. If you want to learn how to play guitar quickly, there are teachers that offer short lessons. In contrast, if you want a serious music education, you can research teachers that offer music theory, technique, and the art of performance. Many music classes are available to the public. Check out your local adult school, community college or music school. You can begin private lessons by hiring a music tutor to come to your home. Some music teachers will even visit your home to give lessons. Read the reviews students give music instructors. Find out the price of music lab materials when considering a cost. Do you have the budget? Do you have the time to practice? Once you have researched music instruction options by calling teachers from the phone book and read online profiles, decide if you are ready for the commitment as music student. If you are ready and have the resources, then book your lessons.


An indispensable guide for beginning music teachers!
Handbook for the
Beginning Music Teacher
This practical and essential resource guides preservice and beginning music teachers through the most difficult years of music teaching. Part One assists undergraduate music education students in navigating early observations; Part Two offers advice for music student teachers; and Part Three is an invaluable reference for the beginning music teacher.
Nineteen real-life stories are interspersed throughout Handbook for the Beginning Music Teacher, and most include questions for discussion developed by the story authors. Their experiences aid new and prospective teachers in considering difficult questions before they come up in the classroom: What should you do if you are placed in a subject area outside of your area of expertise? How do you balance the roles of teacher and musician? Beyond teaching music, what effects do you have on students' lives?
Reproducible worksheets appear throughout the text. These include preservice teacher reflection forms, observation protocols, reflection worksheets for the student teacher, supervisor observation forms, feedback tools, and a professional development checklist. Each of the three sections ends with a reference list and suggestions for further reading.
Colleen M. Conway is Associate Professor of music education at the University of Michigan.
Thomas M. Hodgman is Associate Professor of music at Adrian College, where he is Chairman of the Music Department and director of the Choral Ensemble.


I am very excited about the publication of Thomas Korcok’s Lutheran Education: From Wittenberg to the Future. It supplies what has long been needed: a history of classical Christian education as practiced in the Reformation tradition. Dr. Korcok shows that the Lutheran approach to education has always been the classical liberal arts + catechesis.
He also shows that the various theological conflicts were also manifested in educational conflicts: The scholastics did practice the liberal arts but with an emphasis on logic, whereas the Renaissance & Reformation educators emphasized rhetoric, with its attention to original texts (such as the Bible). The Renaissance humanists tended to believe that the liberal arts were sufficient to instill morality, but the Lutherans insisted also on the necessity of Christian catechesis. The enthusiasts, considering the liberal arts too worldly, wanted only Bible-reading schools. The pietists also considered the liberal arts too worldly and wanted schools to concentrate only on job-training. The rationalists considered the liberal arts too old fashioned, wanting only scientific education. But the Lutherans believed that the liberal arts approach to education–training students broadly, with lots of history, great books, and objective knowledge from mathematics through music–combined with rigorous catechesis, was the best approach in forming young people so that they can think like a Lutheran.
Pastors, parochial school teachers, and parents should read this book. So should anyone interested in classical Christian education. (I suspect that much of what holds true for Lutherans also applies to various Reformed educators, who also practiced this approach.)
Here is what Paul McCain of CPH says about the book:
A great new book is now available on Lutheran education which, historically, has been the key to the success of the Lutheran Church’s ability to transmit the confession of the Church to future generations. You may order it here, via the web, or call 800-325-3040. Here is a sample for you to download.
The liberal arts model has traditionally been preferred in Lutheran elementary classrooms. No other educational paradigm so well meets the requirements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. There is no reason that the liberal arts cannot be adapted to meet contemporary needs. The question is, what should be the main focus of a contemporary presentation of the arts?
Thomas Korcok demonstrates how the Wittenberg theologians settled on a liberal arts education as the preferred model for Evangelical Christian elementary schools. He then traces how that model persisted and was adapted as Lutherans moved from Europe to North America. Korcok concludes that the liberal arts model fits our contemporary setting as changes in society today make it ever more important to have an elementary education that is compatible with Evangelical Theology. The book includes:
-Historic exploration of educational models in view of theological truths
-The challenge of influences that push educators either to the Word as objective truth or away from the Word toward secular standards of truth
-A definition of an Evangelical Liberal Arts approach, its flexibility, and how it fits into classrooms today
-Extensive references to educational, historical, and theological literature
You can order the book from the link in my first paragraph or from the CPH website, along with downloading a free sample. The book is scheduled for release in August, but you can pre-order it. I wrote the foreword.
Along these lines, I should put in a plug for the 11th annual Conference of the Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, July 12-14, in Sheridan Wyoming, which is where I am heading this week. I’ll be giving a couple of talks. If you are in Sheridan, be sure to introduce yourself!


Offers a step-by-step approach to using ITUs to help pupils acquire the knowledge and develop the problem-solving skills required for today's changing–and challenging–times. Addresses the content, technology, diversity, and classroom management of ITUs. Material on curriculum standards, scoring guides, and the relationship between the interdisciplinary thematic unit approach and professional education tests. Extensive coverage of the role of pupil input into ITUs. For future educators.
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A Guide for Developing Interdisciplinary Thematic Units 4/e
Patricia L. Roberts and Richard D. Kellough
Do you want to learn more about planning and delivering interdisciplinary thematic units (ITUs), that support, high-stakes testing? This practical and concise guide designed for preservice and inservice teachers offers current and practical methods, guidelines, and resources for developing ITUs to use in K-12 classrooms.
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
Patricia L. Roberts joined the faculty of the School of Education at California State University, Sacramento where she taught courses in children's literature, reading, and language arts, and served as coordinator of a Teacher Education Center in Elementary Education and as an Associate Chair and Chair of the Department of Teacher Education. In addition, Dr. Roberts is the author and co-author of more than 20 teacher resource books and texts, including A Guide to Developing Interdisciplinary Thematic Units, 4th Edition (with R.D. Kellough). She writes for journals and is a member of the National Council of Research on the Teaching of English and other professional groups. Her current research centers on teaching curriculum content with chilren's literature and family values found in fiction for children. Dr. Roberts, an invited bigoraphee in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award for the University of the Pacific and the California State University's Award for Merit for Teaching. The Award of Merit is given for a superior teaching record and outstanding service to the institution and to the community. Additional recognitions include listings in International Who's Who of Intellectuals, Who's Who in American Education, Two Thousand Notable American Women, The Director of Distinguished Americans, International Directory of Distinguished Leadership, and The International Who's Who of Contemporary Achievement. Richard D. Kellough is author and co-author of more than 40 textbooks, including A Resource Guide for Teaching K-12, Teaching Young Adolescents: A Guide to Methods and Resources, Secondary School Teaching: A Guide to Methods and Resources, and Your First Year of Teaching, as well as numerous journal articles. A member of several prominent organizations, Dr. Kellough has been elected to the Phi Sigma Society, the Botanical Society of America, the American Bryological Society, and was the recipient of the Outstanding Biology Teacher Recognition Award from the National Biology Teachers Association, State of California. His many recognitions include being named a National Science Foundation Research Fellow at the University of California, Davis, as well as listings in the International Authors and Writers Who's Who, Leaders in the Eco Education Men of Achievement (Volume 1), Dictionary of International Biography, and Leaders in Education.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Book Description Pearson, 2006. Book Condition: New. Brand New, Unread Copy in Perfect Condition. A+ Customer Service! Summary: Chapter 1: Introduction to Integrated Curriculum and Interdisciplinary Thematic Units Chapter 2: Initiating an Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit Chapter 3: Developing Objectives Chapter 4: Assessing Student Learning Chapter 5: Completing Your ITU: Finalizing Activities, Lessons and Units Appendix A: Hints for Short-Answer Response Questions; Praxis Prep Appendix B: Resources: Teacher Planning Guides and Childrens Literature Titles Glossary Name Index Subject Index with Target Topics for Teacher Tests. Bookseller Inventory # ABE_book_new_0131755013
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a) Discuss critically how the change in political situations shaped the course of Indian Education. Illustrate with examples.
b) Explain the need of community participation in improving the quality of elementary education. Discuss the initiatives taken by central and state governments for achieving the Universalisation of Elementary Education. (500 Words)
c) Describe the national system of education as envisaged in National Policy on Education (1986) and the need for a National Curriculum Framework in Indian Context. (500 Words)
a) Mention the philosophical assumptions of reconstructionism, existentialism and pragmatism and make an analysis of aims of education as propounded by these schools of thought. (500 Words)
b) Explain the meaning and nature of knowledge. Discuss the implications of different forms of knowledge for curriculum planning.
c) Choose a subject of your choice from Secondary School Curriculum. Analyse the curriculum of the same subject and describe how different theories of learning have contributed to the development of the same curriculum. (500 Words)
a) What is self concept? How does self concept affect learning? Give examples. (500 Words)
b) Discuss the influences of socio-cultural environment on learning. (500 Words)
c) Discuss the importance of affective learning in school curriculum. How will you organise content for teaching and assessment of affective learning?
a) What is the role of a school in the socialisation of a child? Present the case of a typical student from your class and describe how the school helped him/ her socialise.
b) Do you think ‘community’ has any role in running schools? Present arguments in favour of your answer with suitable examples.
c) How does the teacher’s ideology influence his/ her teaching? What measures should be taken to make teaching ideology neutral.
a) Discuss the development and present status of secondary education in India.
b) Identify a topic from the subject of your choice at the Secondary School level. Prepare a lesson plan on it.
c) What is Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE)? Prepare a detailed plan for the implementation of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation at the Secondary School Level.


In order to create his art, Season 5 artist Allan McCollum incorporates the time-tested strategy of teamwork. Huge installations and projects that no one person could possibly pull off by themselves are essentially the product of working collaboratively with assistants, scientists, and craftspeople from, well, everywhere. Without these people to help create and arrange his mammoth works, Allan would probably either be working on a much smaller scale or banging his head against the wall trying to figure out how to do everything at once.
Teaching is a lot like this.
In order to “pull off” successful and engaging classes, we often have to work with others to research and construct units of study that are meaningful, age-appropriate, and most of all, fun. The best units, lessons, projects, and works of art that get created in any art education setting are often the result of teamwork- from teachers initiating the ideas to administration and community support to parent involvement to student effort. It’s a nice parallel to Allan McCollum’s work because when you see an installation of his drawings or sculptures, you’re often left breathless. When you hear and see a class really clicking, really constructing meaningful work and making meaning, you’re also tempted to step back in awe of the whole process.
In a school year already layered with many challenges that relate to budget cuts, shortage of personnel and limited patience, Allan McCollum’s example of teamwork reminds us that with others so much more is possible than going at it alone.


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Preschool Music General Information
Susie or Phil are available to teach music sessions at your Preschool centre. These sessions take place once a week for 30-40 minutes for a maximum group of 15 children. For children to receive an age appropriate and developmental music program it is ideal to have them grouped according to age.
Here’s an example of possible groupings – babies 3 months to 12 months; toddlers 12 months to 2 years; 3 yr olds; 4 yr olds. Preschool music programs can be anything from a minimum of 5-8 weeks to a whole term or year.
Preparation for Preschool Music Activities
Susie or Phil arrive approximately 10 minutes prior to the lesson each week.
Ideally, please clear one fairly large space for Susie or Phil to work with all the groups to enable movement and dancing to occur free of distractions. They will need one large table, as well as easy access to a CD player. If there is a piano available that is reasonably in tune she would like to make use of it.
As this is a program that can be implemented during daily activities over the week and throughout the year at the Centre, it is most important that staff support the program and happily participate
in each weekly lesson. As well as giving children a wealth of musical experiences, the program aims to equip staff with techniques to use to teach the material to their children and therefore it is vital that staff partake actively in all the sessions.
Please talk to your staff about these points. In the future you may consider a Professional Development Workshop with the staff at your centre as a follow up to the program.
Children have a natural love for singing, chanting rhymes, moving and dancing, clapping and tapping etc. Even a young baby will instinctively respond to a soothing lullaby or a favourite musical toy. The child’s early fascination and love for music and movement can be channelled into a life-long enthusiasm through an involvement in an enjoyable and active music program!
Why begin with young children?
Children begin to learn at a very young age. The foundations for a successful lifetime are built during these young formative years, and therefore the earlier children can be involved in music activities, the better. By beginning music education at a young age the child has more chance of being meaningfully involved with music in later life as a listener, performer and a creator.
The facts about music education
If we hear, feel, think and do - we will remember and understand.
Musical Aims of the Program
Musical activities promote:
Phil, we really enjoyed your music program this year and I know that I received a great deal of positive feedback from the parents as their children would ask every morning; “Is it Thursday today? Is it a Phil day?” I think it is a sad thing these days that we haven’t more men in the industry as men bring a different dynamic to the program.
We woman can be very sensible and expect law and order yet men are so much more relaxed and just want more fun! So although I sometimes worried about the children getting out of control and unruly as you had jokes with them and made them laugh you were able to stop it when you thought they had had enough and bring them back in control. And the children just loved laughing and being just a little bit silly!
I know that you were with us for such a short amount of time when we look at it in perspective and there are so many possibilities to include in the program, however I felt that you presented some of the most appropriate and gave enough repetition that the children were familiar with the music and songs and what was expected of them. I know that preparation beforehand also helps a great deal. They truly love Funkey Monkey and singing to him at the beginning of the sessions. Fuzzy is a personal favourite of mine and the anticipation of him popping out of his box is exciting.
Dianne Goodall,Director Surrey Hills Pre-School, Melbourne
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Welcome to Music is a great music education resource for teachers and students alike!
teaching music resources and music resources for primary teachers. primary music resources
If you would like us to run a music workshop at your school then get in touch! We have great music lesson plans.
for preschool music we have great preschool music activities and programs and early childhood music.
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Monkeys Understand Basic Counting Skills
A team of researchers studying Old World monkeys have found that the primates have better numerical skills than previously believed, BBC News reports.
They found, using a basic numeracy test, that long-tail macaques were able to determine which of two plates had more raisins. However, in strange fashion, the macaques only excelled in the basic test if they were not allowed to eat the raisins used in the experiment.
The results of the experiments show that the animals have the ability to understand the concept of relative quantities.
The researchers, from the German Primate Center in Goettingen, Germany, first tested the macaques by showing them two different amounts of raisins. The primates were then fed the raisins that they pointed to. But the researchers noted that in this test, the monkeys usually got it wrong — choosing the smaller pile of raisins.
Vanessa Schmidt, lead researcher on the study, said that instead of thinking about the quantities, the monkeys were thinking more about how much they wanted to eat the raisins.
“This impulsiveness impaired their judgment,” Schmidt told BBC News. “But when we repeated the test, this time showing them two plates of inedible objects – pebbles – they did much better.”
To find out if the monkeys could actually distinguish quantities, the team decided to try another experiment.
“We wanted to know if they could simultaneously maintain two mental representations of the food items, first as choice, and second as food reward,” said Schmidt.
In the new experiment, which was a little more complex than the original, the macaques were shown plates of raisins, but the reward for pointing to the correct plate was to be fed raisins that were actually hidden underneath.
“They perform as well in this task as they do when choosing the pebbles,” said Schmidt. “This seems to show that they see the raisins as signifiers – representations of the food rewards they’re going to receive.”
Professor Julia Fischer, the study’s co-researcher, said that young children displayed the same difficulty in suppressing their impulses. “There’s a well-known experiment called the reverse reward paradigm,” she said.
“You have two heaps of candies – one big, and one small. The child obviously points at the big heap – which is then given to another child, while the [first] child itself gets the small heap,” Fischer explained.
“Young children have trouble comprehending that they should point at the small heap to get the big one, but if you replace the candies with numerals or other symbols, they can do it,” she added.
Other studies of primates in the past, that have used food to test numeracy skills, may have had inconclusive results because of this effect, and therefore didn’t really understand the real abilities of these types of animals.
The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
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Common Core Standards• Standards developed for K-12 in Math and English Language Arts (ELA)• Forty-five states have adopted these standards• Missouri has adopted; plan to implement 2014-2015 school year (National Governors Assoc. for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010)
Common Core Standards• ELA standards include – Literature & informational text – Foundational skills – Writing skills – Speaking & Listening Skills – Language Skills (National Governors Assoc. for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010)
Common Core Standards• ELA standards also include literacy in – Science – Social Studies – History – Technical Subjects (National Governors Assoc. for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010)
How can weprepare our students for the Common Core?
What is WAC?• Learning to Write• Writing to Learn In ALL disciplines (McLeod, 1987; McLeod & Maimon, 2000)
Benefits of WAC• Provides students with writing practice• Great learning tool for students• Works on students’ critical thinking skills• Shows students’ learning, thought- processes, and misunderstandings (McLeod, 1987; McLeod & Maimon, 2000)
Fears vs. Solutions Fears Solutions • Lack of expertise • Dont focus on grammar • Write along with students • Take time away from • Collaborate with own content to teach teachers writing • Stagger big writing assignments • More grading • Small writing assignments just as beneficial as big • Evaluation processes ones • Evaluate only one-two elements of writing(Borchers, 2001; Fincke, 1982;Graham, Gillespie, & McKeown, 2012; • Don’t grade everything!Graves, 1995; Gribbin, 1991;Kinloch, 2009)
What are some waysyou can incorporate more writing into your classroom?
Some Strategies• Journals/Diaries/Logs• Write for a Real Audience• Write Daily• Freewriting/Focused Freewriting• (See Handout for More) (Jacobs, 2002; Moss 1991)
Teachers Should…• Model Writing• Provide Expectations Clearly• Provide Feedback/Conference• Focus Less on Conventions (Borchers, 2001; Fincke, 1982; Graham, Gillespie, & McKeown, 2012; Graves, 1995; Gribbin, 1991; Kinloch, 2009; Moss, 1991)
BibliographyBorchers, D. L. (2001). Writing across the curriculum: A simple approach to correcting. New England Reading Association Journal, 37(2), 11-13.Fincke, G. (1982). Writing across the curriculum in high school. The Clearing House, 56(2), 71-73.Graham, S., Gillespie, A., & McKeown, D. (2012). Writing: importance, development, and instruction. Reading and Writing, 26(1), 1-15.Graves, D. H. (1995). Be a better writing teacher. Education Digest, 60(9), 57- 60.Gribbin, W. G. (1991). Writing across the curriculum: Assignments and evaluations. The Clearning House, 64(6), 365-368.Jacobs, V. A. (2002). Reading, writing, and understanding. Educational Leadership, 60(3), 58-61.
BibliographyKinloch, V. (2009). Innovative writing instruction. The English Journal, 98(5), 103-107.Maimon, S. M. (2000). Clearing the air: WAC myths and realities. College English, 62(5), 573-583.McLeod, S. (1987). Defining writing across the curriculum. WPA: Writing Program Administration, 11(1-2), 19-24.Moss, B. (1991). Promoting reading and writing in the middle-grade content- area classroom. The Clearing House, 65(1), 11-13.National Governors Association for Best Practices, C. o. (2010). Common core standards. Washington, D.C.: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from Common core state standards initiative.


Music - CE
MSC 029 – Music Education: Music by the Masters
Discover or rediscover master composers such as J.S. Bach, Handel, Hayden, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Wagner, Verdi, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Bartok and others with this study of symphony, opera, concerto, art song, tone poem and Broadway musicals.
1. demonstrate an understanding of classical music as an art form,
2. define classical music concepts and terminology,
3. discuss the differences of the art forms studied, and
4. identify well-known opera houses and concert halls.
MSC 050 – Guitar Basics
This course is designed to enable students to learn the fundamentals needed to play a guitar and to learn about the general history of guitar evolution. Students will learn tuning and maintenance skills, hand positioning techniques, basic chord changes and progressions, and strumming styles. In addition, students will learn how to purchase appropriate music, strings, and equipment for their instrument. Topics to be covered include course introduction, tuning and posture, and playing and reading techniques.
1. discuss the basic evolution of stringed instruments,
2. demonstrate an understanding of basic guitar techniques to play easy harmonic songs,
3. demonstrate the ability to read tablature, and
4. demonstrate the ability to tune a guitar and train the ear.
MSC 051 – Intermediate Guitar
This course is designed to enable students to review the fundamentals needed to play a guitar while offering more advanced chord progressions and strumming techniques. Students will learn the various skills needed to play classical, blues, and rock guitar music as well as how to change guitar strings. More advanced guitar tablature, music reading, and symbols will be discussed. Topics to be covered include course introduction, tuning and posture, and playing and reading techniques.
1. demonstrate improved guitar skills,
2. demonstrate an understanding of advanced guitar techniques,
3. demonstrate improved theory skills, and
4. demonstrate the ability to change guitar strings.
MSC 064 – Music Education: The Music of George Gershwin
Capture the flavor of the times when the genius of George Gershwin budded and grew. View both the important and the trivial that affected his day-to-day life, the fashions, the inventions, the social changes and war and peace. Discover how New York shaped him and his music. Hear and see his works performed by the giants of that era.
1. identify the melodies popularized in his music;
2. recognize the dance interpretations of Gershwin's songs;
3. discuss the modern revival of his music in songs and dance;
4. identify the contributions of Ira Gershwin as lyricist to George Gershwin's music; and
5. develop a technical vocabulary of musical terms.
MSC 078 – MUSIC BY THE MASTERS
1. explain the structures of these different types of classical music, and
2. apply this knowledge to other pieces of classical music.
MSC 079 – HIST/20TH CENT AMERICAN MUSIC
1. discuss the relevant historical highlights, timelines and personalities of 20th Century American music, especially during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s;
2. identify the different kinds of music during this era; and
3. list the important historical events that occurred during the time of each of these musical genres.


Harmonizing voices of young choir students filled the air with the nations most recognizable patriotic tune.
School administrators and parents gathered at Rim Country Middle School Friday to hear the school choir sing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in celebration of National Anthem Project Day.
Following the "Star-Spangled Banner," music students playing handbells also entertained parents and visitors by playing patriotic tunes.
Rim Country Middle School music teacher, Karen Phylo said the hand-bell students insisted on participating in Friday's ceremonies.
"We have done the handbells in connection with the National Anthem Day Project for the past two years," she said.
"It is not normally a performance class, but they've been doing so well and they get so excited that they wanted to participate, too."
Phylo said this is the third year the school has participated in the National Anthem Day Project.
"The purpose of the school's involvement in the National Anthem Day Project is to illuminate the need for music in our schools and to support local music education," Phylo said.
She said educators and schools across the United States coordinated schedules, so that students would be singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the same time.
"It is a nationwide movement and there would be kids singing all over the United States at nine o'clock local time," Phylo said.
She said the choir and hand-bell students have been practicing the verses for months in preparation for Friday.
"They're a little overwhelmed by the words to the "Star-Spangled Banner," Phylo said.
"I do teach them three of the four verses, but I don't teach them the third verse because we became friends with the British after the war of 1812 and it wouldn't be appropriate to include it now," Phylo said.
"But their question is how come they (Congress) picked a song that's so hard to sing?" she said.
"And that's a question even legislators have wrestled with over the years, so, it's a reasonable request, but that's all the more reason we need to teach it," Phylo said.
The song was not originally written as lyrics.
Francis Scott Key wrote the "Star-Spangled Banner" as a poem on Sept. 14, 1814.
He never knew it would eventually be set to music and become the national anthem of the United States.
"We talk about the history of the flag, and particularly the history of the flag flown at Fort McHenry, they know a lot of information about it," Phylo said.
The National Anthem Project began in 2005 by MENC, the National Association for Music Education, to raise awareness of the importance of music education in the United States.
According to MENC, 61 percent of American citizens don't know the words to the national anthem.
"Three in four Americans say school is where they learned the anthem and other patriotic songs.
"In fact, music class is where students learn key elements of American history and tales of United States heritage. Yet, the survey showed that only 39 percent of Americans could complete the third line of the ‘Star Spangled Banner' correctly with "... through the perilous fight," the MENC Web site said.
Rim Country Middle School choir student Ashley Anglemire said it's important for people to know the national anthem, its history, and what it stands for.
"Not many people in our country know the ‘Star-Spangled Banner' any more," she said.
"It's been sung throughout the years and to honor our country and we want to make sure that people know our national anthem."
Anglemire said that because of the United States involvement in conflicts overseas at the present time, it is particularly important to be aware of the song.
"We're all part of this country and we want to make the point that we need to show support for the people who are fighting for us right now," Englemeyer said.
The Daughters of the American Revolution are also celebrating History of Constitution Week from Sept. 17 through Sept. 21 to help raise awareness of the Stars-and-Stripes, its history and the U.S. Constitution.
The Mogollon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was at the Payson Public Library Monday handing out literature and speaking to people about the Constitution.
Jo Patterson, press secretary for DAR, said they want to help increase awareness of the Constitution in general and to educate people on their rights under the Constitution.
"It's important for citizens to know what protections, rights and responsibilities they have under our laws," she said.


The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Münsterberg, Hugo
MÜNSTERBERG, mün'ster-bĕrg, Hugo, German-American psychologist: b, Dantzic, Germany, 1 June 1863; d. Cambridge, Mass., 16 Dec. 1916. He was graduated at the Dantzic Gymnasium in 1882, and pursued post-graduate studies in physiology, philosophy, natural sciences and medicine until 1887. He received the degree of Ph. D. at Leipzig in 1885 and that of M.D. at Heidelberg in 1887. After this he was instructor and assistant professor of psychology in the University of Freiburg at Baden, Germany. In 1892 he came to America at the invitation of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. He was professor of experimental psychology and director of the Psychological Laboratory in Harvard from that time until his death. His scholarly work was partly psychological, partly philosophical. After 1900 he gave special attention to the new field of applied psychology, in particular to the application of psychology to education, medicine, law, commerce and industry. He was a member of the Psychological Association (president 1898), of the Philosophical Association (president 1908), the Washington Academy, of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, etc. He was organizer and vice-president of the International Congress of Arts and Sciences at the Saint Louis World's Fair 1904, vice-president of the International Psychological Congress in Paris 1900, vice-president of the International Philosophical Congress at Heidelberg 1907, etc. In 1910-11 he was Harvard exchange professor at the University of Berlin and during that year founded the Amerika-Institut in Berlin. During the whole period of his American stay he worked for the improvement of the relations between the United States and Germany, writing in America for a better understanding of Germany and in Germany for a higher appreciation of America. The outspoken views of Professor Münsterberg on the issue of the War of 1914 raised storms of controversy about his head. He appeared as probably the most eminent supporter of German policies in America, and as such was most bitterly condemned by the Entente Allies and their friends, while to the pro-Germans he appeared almost an idol. While supporting German policies, Professor Münsterberg denounced many of the activities of the Teutonic hyphenates in this country. He condemned the forming of an alien party within the United States as “a crime against the spirit of true Americanism,” and said that its results would reach far beyond the time of the war. Professor Münsterberg's early writings in Germany were exclusively devoted to experimental psychology. During his sojourn in America he published the following works, some of which have been translated into many languages: ‘Psychology and Life’ (1899); ‘Grundzüge der Psychologie’ (1900); ‘American Traits’ (1902); ‘Die Amerikaner’ (1904; revised 1912); ‘Principles of Art Education’ (1905); ‘The Eternal Life’ (1905) ; ‘Science and Idealism’ (1906); ‘Philosophie der Werte’ (1907); ‘On the Witness Stand’ (1908); ‘Aus Deutsch-Amerika’ (1909); ‘The Eternal Values’ (1909); ‘Psychotherapy’ (1909); ‘Psychology and the Teacher’ (1910); ‘American Problems’ (1910); ‘Psychologie und Wirtschaftsleben’ (1912); ‘Vocation and Learning’ (1912); ‘Psychology and Industrial Efficiency’ (1913); ‘American Patriotism’ (1913); ‘Grundzüge der Psychotechnik’ (1914); ‘Psychology and Social Sanity’ (1914); ‘Psychology, General and Applied’ (1914); ‘The War and America’ (1914); ‘The Peace and America’ (1915); ‘The Photoplay, A Psychological Study’ (1916). He was also a large contributor of psychological and philosophical articles in the scientific magazines and of social, political and practical psychological articles in the popular periodicals.


Aligned to Your Math Resources
SMI is the best way to gauge your students’ readiness for math instruction, and identify which foundational skills teachers may need to rebuild. Providing a score directly on The Quantile Framework, SMI becomes a tool for differentiation in the math classroom. The program aligns to classroom math basals as well as Scholastic Math Intervention programs.
Explore the SMI Math Database for resources to support differentiation of instruction and effective pacing, and to link Quantile measures to textbook resources and align these measures to state standards including the
Common Core State Standards. This open resource is available to all
How to use the SMI Math Resource Database
Mouseover the dots to learn about using the math resource database.
Search by Keyword
Search for topics and link to state standards including the Common Core State Standards.
Use Advanced Search
Search by Q-Taxon ID
Input QTaxon ID numbers from the Intervention Grouping Report and the Student Progress Report to unpack target skills for differentiated instruction.
Search by Math Textbooks
Select your math textbook and see the level of difficulty of the chapters and lesson relative to your students' overall abilities.


Here's the latest article from the Children with Special Needs site at BellaOnline.com.
Loneliness and Friendship in High School
Students with Down syndrome or other developmental disabilities may experience less loneliness and more friendships in high school than their mainstream peers, unless a club like Circle of Friends offers all students the support and encouragement found in inclusive extracurricular activities.
Please visit specialneedschildren.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Children with Special Needs.
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To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Children with Special Needs located here -
I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!
Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!
Pamela Wilson, Children with Special Needs Editor
Service Dog Etiquette
Explaining Disabilities to Classmates
Inclusion in Brownies and Girl Scouts
Teaching Students in Inclusive Classrooms
Inclusive P.E. for Children with Special Needs
School Bus Rides
Transition to Preschool from Early Intervention
Private Schools and Children with Special Needs
After School Homeschooling - Childhood Disability
Teaching Relatives To Be Caregivers
Interviewing Caregivers for Your Child
IEP Goals for Children with Special Needs
IEP Preparation - Teacher Support
Peer Mentoring Programs and Childhood Disability
Music Education and Music Therapy
Literacy Skill Development - Teens with Autism or Down Syndrome
Back to School with Down Syndrome
(Over) Preparing for the IEP Meeting
Down Syndrome and Type One Diabetes - Dual Diagnosis
Back to School with Diabetes
School Nurses and Diabetes Care
Diabetes Information for Classmates
Wearing Glasses in Early Childhood
Teens with Disabilities - Transition to Adulthood
Snapshots, Photography, and Childhood Disability
Boardmaker and PECS Communication Alternatives
Photography Lessons for Children
Teaching Your Child to Plan Meals and Cook
Swine Flu Outbreak and Childhood Disability
Acknowledging Traumatized Children
Establishing Advocacy Priorities


Focus on Irish History: From the 1913 Lockout to the 1916 Easter Rising
The exhibitions Understanding 1916 exhibition and the 1916 section in Soldiers and Chiefs explore these key periods in Irish History.
Find out how you can make the most of your Museum visit...
Tour: Understanding 1916
Students get a general introduction to the political, social and cultural events leading up to the Rising, the Easter Week in Dublin and its aftermath. Students will see key artefacts, such as the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic.
This session can also be tailored to focus on the curriculum strand 'Working as an Historian' and the interpretation of primary sources, by referring to the objects, photographs and written documents on display.
Duration: Approximately 30 minutes.
Primary School Curriculum Links
- Politics, conflict and society
- Language and culture in late 19th and early 20th-Century Ireland
- Eras of change and conflict
- Changing roles of women in the 19th and 20th Centuries
- 1916 and the foundation of the state
- Working as an Historian
Self Directed Visits
Please note that all group visits must be pre-booked. Groups who arrive unnannouced may not be able to access galleries as groups who book will be given precedence. Contact us to make a booking.
The following exhibitions have a strong links to the curriculum strands listed above:
- Soldiers & Chiefs traces Ireland's military history from 1550 to the present day, including key events such as the 1798 rebellion, the Irish in the American Civil War, World War One, the Easter Rising and the War of Independence. The exhibition also explores the daily life of the soldier, the changing technology of warfare, why soldiers join up and life for women and families during times of conflict. These themes are further investigated in activity books for schools.
- Understanding 1916 focuses on the period from 1913 to 1923 and aims to put the Easter Rising into its social, economic and cultural contexts as well as describing the main events of the week and the aftermath.
Follow these steps to get the most out of a self-directed visit.
We are currently developing an online resource for Schools which will be available in 2015.
In the classroom, there are several follow-up activities you can do with your class. We suggest:
- Design a new Irish flag, which symbols and colours would represent Irish people now?
- Write a diary entry before and after the Rising, as one of the figures involved, for example a young person like Molly O'Reilly or Sean Healy, or one of the central figures like Patrick Pearse or Countess Markievicz
- Have a debate in the classroom; which organisation would you have joined and why?
For more tips, see our guide on how to plan a visit
We're continually improving and adding to our online Museum resources.
Looking for information on the Easter Rising: Understanding 1916 exhibition and collections?
Take a look around:
You may also be interested in:
Want to look up a particular artefact? Try our Artefact Search.


Fletcher-Campbell, Felicity; Soler, Janet and Reid, Gavin
Approaching Difficulties in Literacy Development: Assessment, Pedagogy and Programmes.
This Reader considers the complexity of literacy difficulties, showing how research into literacy difficulties has to be multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary and involve a range of research approaches and methods. The chapters show that this is necessary to accommodate the wide range of issues that can, potentially, explain literacy difficulties and suggest strategies and interventions to ease those difficulties.
Starting from the point that literacy is a contested concept and that acquiring literacy is a complex process, this Reader goes on to consider literacy development in relation to:
- Theoretical understandings, implications for practice
- Assessing literacy difficulties
- Pedagogy and planning
- Interventions in different contexts
Actions (login may be required)


The University of Michigan employs an admissions process that openly and unapologetically benefits minorities. Opponents decry the policy as a violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the Bill of Rights (drawing specific attention to the Equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment). As one school administrator put it, "It's evil. It's not meant to be evil, but it's fundamentally wrong in a good society. That's what we always believed. Treat the races without discriminating on the basis of skin color." By contrast, proponents defend the policy on the grounds that it increases ethnic diversity, thus creating a more conducive learning environment.
In April 2003, the Supreme Court will decide which side is right - or at least constitutionally correct. On this decision, the future of affirmative action turns.
In the meantime, the battle continues to be fought on op-ed pages across the country. Sensible people everywhere agree that it is unacceptable to segregate our learning institutions along racial lines. The evidence is also pretty compelling that removing racial quotas causes ethnic enrollment to decrease in major universities. So, how do we best achieve diversity in higher education, without disregarding the equal protection and principles of equality afforded by the Bill of Rights?
Perhaps a good place to start would be to attack the problem not at college enrollment centers, but at the grade-school level where poor, urban students - mostly of color - are lagging behind the rest of the country. According to the 2000 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test, 63 percent of black, inner-city fourth-graders and 58 percent of urban Hispanic fourth-graders are unable to demonstrate a "basic" proficiency in reading. Another recent study released by the Manhattan Institute and The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), found that 44 percent of African-American students and 46 percent of Latino students drop out of high school, compared to just 22 percent of white students.
This is plainly a matter of social conditioning. After all, our social roles are carefully taught to us. A poor, minority child is stuck in an overcrowded class. All around him he sees the crude and vulgar testaments to urban life - gang symbols spray painted on the school walls, metal detectors, violence. Academic failure is accepted, customary. Through observation, he will learn that this is normal. He will adapt accordingly. There is a logical progression. A lack of elementary education equals a lack of higher education for America's poor black and Hispanic populations. That, in turn, equals a racial achievement gap that spawns ugly stereotypes about how minorities are lazy and unintelligent.
Such are the disastrous consequences of trapping low-income families, mostly of color, in educational systems without meaningful options.
You want to achieve diversity in higher education? Then break the cycle of conditioning at the grade-school level. Rather than focusing on the admission process for institutions of higher learning, we need to make sure that the elementary education system offers solutions. That means breaking apart those conditions that con young minorities into feeling trapped, despondent and without a future. We need to direct these efforts at disadvantaged elementary students because the sad fact is that, by the time most poor, urban students reach high school, their sense of future possibilities has already been ripped to shreds. Most of all, we need to consider the public education system in poor urban neighborhoods as something other than unalterable. That means embracing true change of the school voucher variety, rather than simply pushing a few students through college doors because of the color of their skin.
Accomplish this, and the result might just be - dare we dream - an education system that increases diversity in higher education, without violating the Constitution and without presuming that all blacks are victims. We may even be able to move beyond those initial steps of the civil rights movement.


When art comes into any classroom, it enhances learning in unexpected, positive ways.
When third- and fourth-graders at Muhlenberg Elementary School in Allentown studied life in China and Japan recently, they drew pictures of dragons, made kites in the shape of colorful carp and, in math class, assembled little Japanese counting books.
To learn about Asian literature, they wrote poems in traditional styles, including haiku and a form in which the poem's words are arranged to resemble the poem's theme -- a poem about a dragon that looks like a dragon, for example.
"Both the gifted children, as well as those children who do not normally shine in language arts, responded in new ways that pleased their teachers," says Marilyn Hazelton, Allentown poet and creative writing teacher who collaborated with Muhlenberg art teacher Mary Ellen Lehman as part of an arts-in-education residency sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Arts Council.
The importance of the arts to children's learning will be the topic of a keynote address by Dr. Judith Burton at the Lehigh Valley Arts Council's annual arts-in-education conference 6-9 p.m. Thursday in the Cecil Lipkin Theater in Northampton Hall at Northampton Community College.
Burton, co-founder of The Center for Arts Education Research at Teachers College in New York City, co-wrote a study that found that students at schools with strong arts programs were better able to express thoughts, have original ideas, be flexible in thinking and take risks in learning. The study also found that students were able to apply learning abilities gained in art classes to other subjects.
It is time for a serious re-evaluation of curriculums based on understanding how the mind works, she says. "If verbal language is the language of thought, then visual language and musical language are symbol systems through which we can also construct and make meaning for ourselves," she says.
According to her research, she says, one art class a week is not enough.
Burton also chairs Columbia University's Department of Arts and Humanities and directs the Program in Art and Art Education at Teachers College. She is an internationally respected scholar, lecturer and author.
The conference, "Teaching and Reaching Children: The Arts as a Springboard to Student Success," will present information about how the arts can improve academic performance, energize teachers and transform learning environments.
The Lehigh Valley Arts Council has a strong emphasis on developing opportunities for schools and artists of all kinds to work together. The conference, which is open to the public, is an opportunity for artists, educators, administrators and parents to learn more about some successful in-school arts projects, including:
"Let's Pretend -- The Role of Storytelling in the Classroom," with storyteller Eva Grayzel;
"Linking Learning, Dance and Culture," with dancer Trish MacCubbin, aka "Tahya;"
"Poetry and the Study of Asian Cultures," with poet Marilyn Hazelton;
"Using Art to Build Community Among At-Risk Populations," with clay artist Tomas Wolff;
"Integrating Historical Bethlehem Resources into Curriculum," with Karen Huetter, Lyn Curtis and Barbara Schafer of the Historic Bethlehem Partnership;
"Allentown Art Museum Education Initiatives in the Schools," with museum Education Director Lynn Berkowitz;
"Exploring Links Between Design, Storytelling, Drumming and Dance," with storyteller Lisa Facciponti and art specialist Kerri Griffin;
"Making Local History Come Alive -- How the Reading Mural Project Grew," with art educator Judith Krieger and retired teacher Betty Mraz;
"Linking Simple Machines and Art," with artist Liz Mango and enrichment specialist Dr. Phyllis Finger;
"How an Artist Helps Plan a Residency" with artist George Shortess, dance educators Margo Ging and Barbara Pearson and storyteller Mary Wright.
The conference is supported by Binney & Smith Inc., Lehigh County, the Samuels Family Foundation, Summit Bank and The Century Fund.
The registration fee is $8 for the public, and $5 for LVAC members and students. Call 610-437-5915.


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


Among the most-recognised and distinguished Palestinian artists is Suleiman Mansour, known most-famously for his 1973 work Camels of Hardship depicting an old porter carrying Jerusalem on his back.
Mansour, who was born in 1947 in Birzeit, has tailored his comprehensive portfolio around the Palestinian struggle, portraying peasants and women in traditional dress in his early work. During the first Intifada against Israeli occupation (1987-1993), Mansour and other artists in the ‘New Vision’ art movement started in 1987 boycotted Israeli supplies and used local materials like mud and henna in his work. For Mansour, art aids the continuation and revival of Palestinian identity, particularly as it captures images of the land and people working in the land. By keeping roots in the ancestral homeland, Mansour enables Palestinians to continue to lay claim to it.
Mansour – also a cartoonist, art instructor and author –has contributed greatly to art education and promotion in the West Bank. He is now regarded as a pivotal cultural leader in Palestine. Co-founder of the Wasiti Art Center in Jerusalem, Mansour’s work has been exhibited in Palestine Israel, the United States, Japan, Korea and across the Arab world and Europe.


Study Guide for MTTC
Sources for MTTC Study Guides
Michigan Test for Teacher Certification or MTTC is a test used for identifying the candidates who possess the skills and subject knowledge that are required to become teachers. A thorough preparation is required to pass this test and the study guides for the test are described in this article.
For any test preparation, you need books and other resources which can be used for studying and the test is no exception. The resources can be broadly classified into:
Books- Books are one of the most commonly used preparatory resources. The study guide of MTTC generally covers all the topics of the test, a few practice tests, solutions to the practice test questions and tips that prove to be very useful both while preparing for the test and while answering questions in the test.
Practice tests- Practice tests constitute an important part of any test preparation. A practice test helps you in understanding the format of the test and your strengths and weaknesses. Based on this, you can work hard on converting your weaknesses to strengths and thereby increasing your scores in the test.
Sources of Study Guides
The sources of a study guides can be broadly classified into:
Online Resource- Many books or other resources are available online. You can download them after paying the cost of the resource or you can order a book through an online store. This source is very helpful since you can purchase the guide from the comforts of your home. You can read a few reviews of the various book available and choose the one that is best suited for you. Then, you can order it and it will be delivered at your doorstep.
Conventional Book Stores- Most study resources are available in conventional book stores. You can visit a book store and flip through the books and decide on the one that you will require. The major advantage of a book store is that you can know about the book before you buy it.
Reviews of a Few Study Guides
There is many study books available in today’s market. Here, a few of the good books are reviewed:
MTTC Study Guide
This book is from the makers of the test. A PDF form of the study guide can be downloaded and used for the preparation. All the subject areas and the Basic Skills test are covered in this. You can visit the page, http://www.mttc.nesinc.com/MI_viewSG_opener.asp for the details of the guide. A printed version of this is available but you must pay a fee for it. You can order it using the ordering form available at http://www.mttc.nesinc.com/PDFs/MI_20122013StudyGuideOrderForm.pdf.
- MTTC - Basic Skills & Elementary Education Tests (MTTC
Teacher Certification Test Prep-)The Editors of REA
This is a comprehensive study guide and all the lessons help in reinforcing the necessary skills. It has been written by experts who have thorough knowledge about the test. The book also helps you in learning about the test like the topics covered and the scoring system. Apart from this, the book also helps you in charting a schedule for the test preparation. A diagnostic test is also available which will help you know your strengths and weaknesses. It also has tutorials which will improve your test taking abilities. Moreover, two full-length tests with answer explanations are present. This book is available at amazon.com and the cot of it is $28.06.
- MTTC Study Guide from 240 tutoring- http://www.240tutoring.com/StudyGuideMTTC.aspx
This company offers study guides for a few subjects of the MTTC. The subjects are; Elementary Education, Mathematics (Elementary and Secondary), Integrated Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies. The study materials are comprehensive. The details of the study guides along with the cost are available at the link mentioned above.
A review book will help you in preparing for the test and many such books are available. However, you must work hard to master the skills and acquire the knowledge that is expected from you to qualify for a teaching position. Read the reviews of the books, identify the one that satisfies your requirements, and use it to prepare for the test and pass the test with flying colors.


Learning Apps and Games for Toddlers
During the months of January through May 2012 I wrote several posts
about apps that were appropriate and recommended for young children, especially those with speech and language delays/disorders. It's been over two years and since then I have discovered many new wonderful apps and I'm sure even more yet have been created. Today's post is the first in a series, as an update of some of my favorite apps for very young children and toddlers. Most will focus on following simple commands and understanding basic concepts such as shapes, animals, colors, counting, etc. All are colorful, exciting and designed to teach little ones the foundational skills they need to know!
Peekaboo Barn - This app was recently updated on 3/15/14 according to the info listed in the app store. It now includes numerous animals including a donkey, llama, cow, pig, and all the basic barnyard animals. I really like this app for young children, even as young as 12-15 months because all they need to do is tap the screen to make the barn door open and see what is inside and then tap it again to move on to the next animal. Perfect for following a 1 step command. I currently work with several 2 year olds recently diagnosed with autism and this has proven to be a fun interactive app that does not overwhelm the child. It holds their interest and they like to lean in to listen for which animal is behind the barnyard door. The animal "knocks" on the barn door and oinks, moos, neighs, or does whatever it does behind the door. For young children learning about animals, this app offers an opportunity to GUESS what is in the barn! A great way to begin developing early "prediction" skills!
If interested, this app also offers some additional features, namely the opportunity to record your own voice, so that is what your child will hear when they use the app and the ability to change the setting to one of 12 different languages. Your child will both see the word written in each language, as well as hear the word said in the language chosen.
*There is also a Peekaboo Sesame Street, which features the real voices and images of the sesame street characters. Perfect if your child is a fan of Elmo and Cookie Monster!
Join me on Tuesday for more of my toddler and young child app picks!


How Does the Program Work?
To earn your Master of Education, you must complete a minimum of 33 hours in one of the concentrations listed below. If you are seeking teacher certification and have not completed an introduction to special education course, you may be required to complete an additional 3 hour course.
All students, regardless of your concentration area, will complete 5 "core" courses. These courses provide all students with foundational concepts such as:
- basic framework of differentiated instruction in today's classrooms;
- cognitive psychology and its role on learning;
- the processes of using action research to improve instruction;
- applied instructional approaches to teaching students from diverse backgrounds; and,
- using differentiated instruction with students with disabilities.
These 5 courses are intentionally composed of both general and special education teachers in order to provide practical activities to foster better collaborative relationships between educators. Upon completion of the "core", students will then select a specialized "concentration" area.
Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Education
The Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Education focuses equipping K-6 educators to work with diverse classrooms. It addresses using assessment to guide instruction, instructional strategies for English Language Learners, differentiated instruction in content areas (math, science, reading, and writing), and using emerging technology to meet the needs of students. All course activities can be connected to YOUR classroom throughout the program.
For complete details, refer to the Degree Requirements to review the curriculum for the Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Education concentration.
Special Education: Autism Spectrum Disorder
The Special Education: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) focuses on developing competent educators to work with students with ASD in a variety of environments. It provides instruction in using assessment and behavioral applications and assistive technology to plan and support instruction, collaborating with other stakeholders, and transition planning. While ASD will be the primary focus of this program, the concepts learned in this program will prepare educators to work with most students with severe disabilities.
For complete details, refer to the Degree Requirements to review the curriculum for the Special Education: Autism Spectrum Disorder concentration.


A fun rhyming game for children. A fun twist on the classic lotto and memory matching games. Strengthen visual discrimination, vocabulary and phonics skills. No reading required.
This rhyming game is suitable for 2 to 4 players. The recommended age of children to play is game is 4 years and older.
Board games help to promote a variety of skills in children. Board games can help to develop language, communication and social skills, as well as increasing maths and literacy development. In younger children, board games, can teach colour recognition, counting and turn taking. Older children can develop skills in problem solving, as well as tactical and strategic thinking. Board games can also help to develop fine motor skills. Board games can also help to introduce basic, daily skills such as healthy eating, money handling and awareness about sustainability and the environment. Educational board games are a fun way to aid the development of cognitive, fine motor skills and social skills.


Teacher lesson plans and classroom management from TeacherVision.com
High school, middle school and elementary lesson plans online. With ideas for great children's activities and classroom management advice TeacherVision is the greatest resource for any teacher!
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Eat fish 'while pregnant'
Washington, October 5, 2007
Pregnant and breast-feeding women should eat at least 12 ounces (340 grams) of fish and other seafood a week because the benefits for infant brain development outweigh any worries about mercury contamination, a group of US experts said.
The recommendations contradict US government warnings that these women should consume no more than 12 ounces of fish and other seafood weekly due to concerns that mercury -- which can harm the nervous system of fetuses -- might exist in trace amounts in this food.
But the group of 14 obstetricians and nutritionists said the threat of mercury poisoning remains only theoretical, while the warnings have scared many pregnant women into not eating fish at all, robbing them and their babies of vital nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, known to help brain development.
The recommendations were issued in partnership with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, whose members include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agriculture Department, the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others.
The nutrients in fish and seafood are important for brain and motor skill development in children and can help prevent postpartum depression in mothers, the experts said.
The coalition said it received $60,000 from a seafood industry trade group, but the experts defended the independence of their work.
'There has been no case of fetal mercury toxicity due to fish consumption reported in the United States,' said one of the experts, Dr Ashley Roman, a professor of obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University Medical Centre.
The group urged that women who want to become pregnant, are pregnant or are breast-feeding should eat a minimum of 12 ounces per week of fish like salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel and seafood like shrimp, lobster and clams.
That amounts to about two to three servings a week. It did not state a recommended upper limit for consumption.
'There are some fish that have been shown to be higher in mercury and in other important trace elements such as shark and swordfish,' Roman said. 'Those might be sources of fish women still might want to stay away from. But the vast majority of fish out there present in the U.S. diet, those are generally very healthy fishes.'
'We're not saying that women should eat 21 meals a week of fish. That's not the message here,' added Cornell University nutritionist Thomas Brenna, another member of the group.
The experts cited a study published in February in the Lancet medical journal finding that children whose mothers ate more fish and other seafood while pregnant were smarter and had better developmental skills than those whose mothers ate less or none.
It looked at children of 8,000 British women to see how children fared if their mothers ate more than 12 ounces a week.
The US Food and Drug Administration and US Environmental Protection Agency issued advisories in 2001 and 2004 telling women who were pregnant, breast-feeding or trying to become pregnant, as well as young children, to eat no more than 12 ounces weekly of some types of fish due to mercury concerns.
Estimates on the dangers posed by mercury come from people exposed in chemical spills. No major studies have shown that mercury from food or vaccines has caused brain damage to mothers or children.
'While it's recognized that fish is an important source of protein, especially for pregnant women, this new emphasis on eating more than 12 ounces of fish per week, without mention of the need to avoid mercury-contaminated fish, appears to throw the baby out with the bath water,' Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project advocacy group that believes mercury exposure has damaged children, said in a statement. Reuters


SUNY New Paltz recently provided two MakerBot 3D printers, on extended loan, to New Paltz High School in hopes of enhancing the hands-on experience students and faculty will have with the cutting-edge technology.
“We are thrilled at SUNY New Paltz to be able to partner with the excellent faculty at New Paltz High School to explore ways that 3D printing can be integrated into K-12 education,” said Dan Freedman, dean of the School of Science and Engineering and director of the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center at SUNY New Paltz.
Because 3D printers can produce virtually any shape that can be designed, and can do so with inexpensive materials, the technology is a natural fit for prototyping—a focus of computer graphics and engineering classes at New Paltz High School.
“This technology brings the ability for our students to be able to see, touch, and refine their 3D modeling design solutions, as well as encourage more interest and expertise in 3D modeling, design, and engineering,” said teacher Jennifer Cone. “We have already printed some bottle designs and will be doing more 3D projects in areas of product and graphic design.”
Other ways of integrating the technology are in the works too.
SUNY New Paltz Assistant Professor (Art Education) Aaron Knochel is interested in bringing high schoolers and college students together to work on 3D-related projects.
“Right now, we are in conversations about hosting high school students in my Learning in Digital Visual Cultures course to create team learning opportunities between university Art Education students and New Paltz High School students. We hope this can build into a fieldwork opportunity for Art Ed students if we can arrange to visit the high school as well,” said Knochel, who noted the technology will fundamentally change how work is done in many fields such as art, engineering, and science.
“Digital fabrication technologies like 3D printing present opportunities to design and engineer in the capacity of leading industry practitioners,” he said. “Rapid prototyping and iterative design practices are important to future design practice and these technologies create design environments where this is possible. On a more basic level the technology is grabbing students’ attention,” explained Knochel, “and introducing them to thinking in 3D may impact their trajectory in future education.”
For New Paltz High School sophomore Darren Tsai the future is top of mind. “I’m looking at going to college for either mechanical/electrical engineering or computer science,” he said. “I am convinced that 3D will become a major tool in every sector of engineering and design, and having hands-on experience with this technology now will help prepare me for a future career.”
“Beyond just providing these machines, the digital fabrication initiative at SUNY New Paltz is about keeping our curriculum relevant and innovative, developing unique partnerships with private industry that can benefit both parties, and seeking opportunities for community-based regional partnerships,” said Knochel. “Supporting the intellectual growth and facility enhancement of regional school systems is ultimately an investment in the excellence of future New Paltz students.”
About the 3D Printing Initiative at SUNY New Paltz
SUNY New Paltz’s 3D Printing Initiative integrates the college’s strengths in engineering, computer science, technology, and the innovation and creativity of the arts. The organizational home of this effort is the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center at SUNY New Paltz. Launched in May 2013, the center brings state-of-the-art 3D printing equipment to the region and a curriculum in Digital Design and Fabrication, giving rise to powerful forces—art and technology, creativity and ingenuity. Additional elements of the initiative include: active recruitment of 3D printing enterprises, with access to venture capital funds and potential for participation in the Governor’s Start-Up NY tax incentive program; and a network of equipment access and collaborative educational programming at Hudson Valley community colleges and select high schools to expand 3D printing capability in the region. In December 2013, the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council and Governor Andrew Cuomo awarded the initiative $1M in state economic development funds. And in February 2014, the College partnered with Brooklyn, N.Y. – based MakerBot, the leading manufacturer of desktop 3D printers, to open the nation’s first MakerBot Innovation Center at SUNY New Paltz.


Kansas Educators Speak Out For Common Core Standards
Teachers and school district superintendents lined up before the Kansas Board of Education Tuesday to support Common Core reading and math education standards. They argued the standards will help students transfer more easily between schools and create students who are better at critical thinking and problem solving.
Sarah Berblinger is a teacher in the Buhler School District. She said the standards also help build a strong foundation for education.
“We believe that this is going to really allow our students to be more globally competitive because of the very rich foundational skills that the Common Core will present,” said Berblinger.
Opponents told the board that the Common Core standards are centralized control over education in Kansas schools. Some opponents said the process needs to be slowed and studied more.
Republican Kasha Kelley chairs the House Education Committee in the Kansas Legislature.
“I know we’re excited to move forward and get out from under teaching to the test," said Kelley "I think there’s still a question as to whether Common Core really does that, but I believe these are issues that none of us can really answer so a pause makes sense."
The Board of Education voted to adopt the Common Core standards in 2010.


Frédéric François Chopin or Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is widely considered one of the greatest Romantic piano composers. Chopin was born in ?elazowa Wola, a village in the Duchy of Warsaw. A renowned child prodigy, he grew up in Warsaw and completed his music education there; he composed many of his mature works in Warsaw before leaving Poland in 1830 at age 20, shortly before the November 1830 Uprising.
Following the Russian suppression of the Uprising, he settled in Paris as part of Poland's Great Emigration. During the remaining 19 years of his life, Chopin gave only some 30 public performances, preferring the more intimate atmosphere of the salon; he supported himself by selling his compositions and teaching piano. After some romantic dalliances with Polish women, including an abortive engagement, from 1837 to 1847 he carried on a relationship with the French writer Amandine Dupin, aka George Sand. For most of his life Chopin suffered from poor health; he died in Paris in 1849 at age 39.
The vast majority of Chopin's works are for solo piano, though he also wrote two piano concertos, a few chamber pieces and some songs to Polish lyrics. His piano works are often technically demanding, emphasizing nuance and expressive depth. Chopin invented the instrumental ballade and made major innovations to the piano sonata, mazurka, waltz, nocturne, polonaise, étude, impromptu, scherzo and prélude.


||Friday, January 30th 2009 [ versión español ]
What began as a collaborative project to promote the exchange between the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) and the University of Delaware saw the first fruits of its labor with the visit of 10 students, from distinct academic concentrations, in search of an experience that allowed them to understand the importance of science in everyday life.
During a five week stay in Puerto Rico, the students were able to relate science with all human activities through conferences, classes, and trips to various parts of the Island. As part of the collaborative agreement students attended social science classes offered at UPRM, and more than just science, they experienced a different culture, as explained by doctor Marla Pérez Lugo, associate professor of the Department of Social Sciences (CISO by its Spanish acronym) at UPRM.
Doctor Cecilio Ortiz, also from CISO, explained that the students were integrated into the Public Administration class (CIPO 4045) which was offered this semester. During this class they shared concerns and experiences about environmental problems in Puerto Rico, as well as those in Delaware.
He signaled that some of the biggest challenges of Puerto Rican public administration are associated to the relation between humans and nature. “These exchanges are extremely important for both my students in public administration as well as those students in Delaware. Through the comparative analysis of environmental matters they can identify, in a distinct manner, the environmental problems that affect both societies.
Similarly, Pérez Lugo confirmed that “we intend to contextualize environmental matters through the active participation of social scientists, who have limited themselves to providing data for environmental studies without going any further.” According to the professor it’s about applying politics to favor the environment; it is because of this that the role of the social scientist is so important.
The participants of this first scholarly exchange to Puerto Rico, who are part of the Study Abroad Program, are students from Elementary Education, Political Science, Anthropology, Nutrition, Business Administration, Chemistry, Animal Sciences, and Natural Resource Management, among others.
As explained by doctor Susan W. King, professor at the University of Delaware who accompanied the students on their journey, the principal objective of the Study Abroad Program is to demonstrate to these university students that science can help them in their future careers. That is also the purpose of the course she teaches at the University of Delaware called Environmental Science in the Rainforest, in which she expects they understand science and convert into productive citizens for society.
The program is divided into classes, and trips to the country in which group and individual projects are realized. One of the trips included eleven days in which they stayed in the Green Reserve, part of the UPR.
“To live in a tropical forest demonstrated that human beings can alter the environment through the activities they carry out,” mentioned the entomology professor.
During their stay in the west, students visited Casa Pueblo in Adjuntas, with the purpose of understanding other ways to manage the resources aside from government intervention, ecotourism and conservation efforts. They also visited the Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce, which helped them to understand the existing relation between history and culture.
One of the most impacting trips for the group was to the Parguera in Lajas. “To visit Cayo Enrique, to be close to the reef and observe the organisms that coexist there allowed them to observe the influence of human activities on nature,” indicated Pérez Lugo.
Before leaving to Delaware, they visited the Parador Palmas de Lucía in Yabucoa to observe how an installation of this type operates; it is classified as an ecological hotel. They also visited a sector of Guayanilla, where they are proposing to install windmills, to share with the residents who oppose an environmentally good project.
“As a professor of public environmental politics, this program gives me the opportunity to utilize a more comparative focus in the analysis of environmental matters. The integration of the Study Abroad Program, a UPRM course, permits us to enrich the academic experience of our students, to expand their horizons of analysis and expose them to the experiences of students from other countries, which many times are facing the same or worse challenges in terms of environmental protection,” emphasized Ortiz.
Participants shared their concerns and experiences about environmental problems in Puerto Rico as well as in Delaware.
Doctor Cecilio Ortiz explained that this type of exchange allows the students to identify in a distinct way the environmental problems that affect both societies.
Doctor Marla Pérez Lugo emphasized the role environmental scientists in the forming of environmental politics.
For doctor Susan W. King, the program demonstrated to its participants that science can help them in the future careers.
Photos by Mariam Ludim Rosa Vélez / UPRM Press


1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Bukovina
Bukovina, a duchy and crownland of Austria, bounded E. by Russia and Rumania, S. by Rumania, W. by Transylvania and Hungary, and N. by Galicia. Area, 4035 sq. m. The country, especially in its southern parts, is occupied by the offshoots of the Carpathians, which attain in the Giumaleu an altitude of 6100 ft. The principal passes are the Radna Pass and the Borgo Pass. With the exception of the Dniester, which skirts its northern border, Bukovina belongs to the watershed of the Danube. The principal rivers are the Pruth, and the Sereth with its affluents the Suczawa, the Moldava and the Bistritza. The climate of Bukovina is healthy but severe, especially in winter; but it is generally milder than that of Galicia, the mean annual temperature at Czernowitz being 46.9° F. No less than 43.17% of the total area is occupied by woodland, and the very name of the country is derived from the abundance of beech trees. Of the remainder 27.59% is occupied by arable land, 12.68% by meadows, 10.09% by pastures and 0.78% by gardens. The soil of Bukovina is fertile, and agriculture has made great progress, the principal products being wheat, maize, rye, oats, barley, potatoes, flax and hemp. Cattle-rearing constitutes another important source of revenue. The principal mineral is salt, which is extracted at the mine of Kaczyka, belonging to the government. Brewing, distilling and milling are the chief industries. Commerce is mostly in the hands of the Jews and Armenians, and chiefly confined to raw products, such as agricultural produce, cattle, wool and wood. Bukovina had in 1900 a population of 729,921, which is equivalent to 181 inhabitants per sq. m. According to nationality, over 40% were Ruthenians, 35% Rumanians, 13% Jews, and the remainder was composed of Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Russians and Armenians. The official language of the administration, of the law-courts, and of instruction in the university is German. Nearly 70% of the population belong to the Greek Orthodox Church, and stand under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the archbishop or metropolitan of Czernowitz. To the Roman Catholic Church belong 11%, to the Greek United Church 3.25%, while 2.5% are Protestants. Elementary education is improving, but, after Dalmatia, Bukovina still shows the largest number of illiterates in Austria. The local diet, of which the archbishop of Czernowitz and the rector of the university are members ex officio, is composed of 31 members, and Bukovina sends 14 deputies to the Reichsrat at Vienna. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 9 districts and an autonomous municipality, Czernowitz (pop. 69,619), the capital. Other towns are Radautz (14,343), Suczawa (10,946), Kuczurmare (9417), Kimpolung (8024) and Sereth (7610).
Bukovina was originally a part of the principality of Moldavia, whose ancient capital Suczawa was situated in this province. It was occupied by the Russians in 1769, and by the Austrians in 1774. In 1777 the Porte, under whose suzerainty Moldavia was, ceded this province to Austria. It was incorporated with Galicia in a single province in 1786, but was separated from it in 1849, and made a separate crownland.
See Bidermann, Die Bukowina unter der osterreichischen Verwaltung, 1775–1875 (Lemberg, 1876).