A new study suggests remedial instruction can rewire dyslexic brains providing long-lasting benefit.
Additionally, the concrete evidence of improvement demonstrated in this study may be valuable in evaluating the effectiveness of a teaching approach or curriculum, or could even be used to shape education policy.
Carnegie Mellon University researchers performed brain imaging of dyslexic students and other poor readers. The study showed that the brain can permanently rewire itself and overcome reading deficits, if students are given 100 hours of intensive remedial instruction.
The research, published in the August issue of the journal Neuropsychologia, shows that the remedial instruction resulted in an increase in brain activity in several cortical regions associated with reading, and that neural gains became further solidified during the year following instruction.
“This study demonstrates how remedial instruction can use the plasticity of the human brain to gain an educational improvement,” said neuroscientist Marcel Just, director of Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging (CCBI) and senior author of the study.
“Focused instruction can help underperforming brain areas to increase their proficiency.”
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), scientists investigated the changes in a number of cortical regions located in the parietotemporal area, which is responsible for decoding the sounds of written language and assembling them into words and phrases that make up a sentence.
CCBI research fellows Ann Meyler and Tim Keller measured brain activity patterns by examining blood flow to all of the different parts of the brain while children were reading. Those measurements showed that prior to the remediation, the parietotemporal areas were significantly less activated among the poor readers than in the control group.
The new findings showed that many of the poor readers’ brain areas activated at near-normal levels immediately after remediation, with only a few areas still underactive.
However, at the one year follow-up scan, the activation differences between good and poor readers had nearly vanished, suggesting that the neural gains were strengthened over time, probably just due to engagement in reading activities.
These findings that point to the parietotemporal region’s role in reading contradict a common perception that dyslexia is primarily caused by difficulties in the visual perception of letters, leading to confusions between letters like “p” and “d.”
Visual difficulties are only at fault in about 10 percent of dyslexia cases. The most common cause, accounting for more than 70 percent of dyslexia, is a difficulty in relating the visual form of a letter to its sound, which is not a straightforward process in the English language.
The same parietotemporal areas of the brain that showed increased activity following instruction are centrally involved in this sound-based processing.
The poor readers, 25 fifth-graders from Pittsburgh and its surrounding communities, worked in groups of three for an hour a day with a teacher specialized in administering a remedial reading program. The training included both word decoding exercises in which students were asked to recognize the word in its written form and tasks in using reading comprehension strategies.
This brain imaging study was also the first in which children were tested on their understanding of sentences, not just on their recognition of single words. The sentences were relatively straightforward ones, which the children judged as being sensible or nonsense, such as “The girl closed the gate” and “The man fed the dress.”
The children’s accurate sensibility judgments ensured that they were actually processing the meaning of the sentences, and not just recognizing the individual words.
The research’s implications may reach far beyond improving literacy skills.
Researcher Just comments that the brain’s capacity to adapt as the result of targeted instruction has the potential to influence the remedial learning process in other subject areas, as well.
“Any kind of education is a matter of training the brain. When poor readers are learning to read, a particular brain area is not performing as well as it might, and remedial instruction helps to shape that area up,” he said.
“This finding shows that poor readers can be helped to develop buff brains. A similar approach should apply to other skills.”
“We are at the beginning of a new era of neuro-education,” Just said.
Source: Carnegie Mellon


United Way's Education Goals:
• 92+% of Treasure Valley 3rd graders score ‘proficient’ or better in state reading evaluations
• 90+% of low-income students (receiving free/reduced price lunch) score ‘proficient’ or better in State 3rd grade reading evaluations
• 70+% of Treasure Valley children enter school (kindergarten) scoring ‘at benchmark’ in State competency evaluations
• Increase accessibility of existing resources through co-location, coordination, and other opportunities that decrease or remove the barriers of transportation, time and information
• Increase college attainment (degree or certificate) by 25-64 year olds to 60% (TVEP and State goal)
United Way of Treasure Valley knows education is a key building block in life and can often be the best way to lead to stability for families. Much of our work and fundraising efforts focus on education, because, as a community, we simply cannot afford not to. Research shows that students who are not reading at grade-level by third grade are more likely to drop out of school. This is why United Way supports early childhood learning and literacy programs—to keep kids learning and engaged and to ultimately build an educated workforce and a stable community.
Many children from low-income households do not have access to early learning opportunities. That’s why United Way of Treasure Valley provides funding and support for education programs like the Caldwell P16 Education Project and the Boise Pre-K Project. These programs provide high quality, guided-discovery preschool learning opportunities in areas of high need in the Treasure Valley.
• The Caldwell P16 Education Project, with support from the YMCA, Lee Pesky Learning Center and the Caldwell School District, operates in Wilson Elementary School and Sacajawea Elementary School.
• The Boise Pre-K Project, in conjunction with the City of Boise and Boise School District, operates in Whitney Elementary School and Hawthorne Elementary School in the Vista neighborhood.
United Way also supports local education efforts through Treasure Valley Education Partnership, a collaborative effort of education stakeholders and leaders across the community who are focused on building an excellent education system. TVEP embraces the ‘cradle-to-career’ mantra, focusing on early childhood learning and literacy through college and career readiness.
What impact has United Way made?
In 2017, United Way of Treasure Valley invested $1,475,953 into local education programs and initiatives. Here are some of the highlights and outcomes from United Way’s work:


|EDRD 6507: Language Development, Diversity and Literacy|
|Examines the impact of social, linguistic, and cultural differences on children's acquisition of language and literacy. Helps students understand the role of home and community in literacy development, to communicate and collaborate with families about children's literacy needs and growth, and to plan and implement literacy instruction that addresses the strengths and needs of all students.|
|Restrictions: Doctoral, Graduate, Non-Matriculated, Post-Baccalaureate students only.
Grade Modes: (Default) Normal Grading, Audit
Instructional Methods: Online
Note: Full Term


The Right to Education Act:
i. Mandates the Right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighbourhood school.
ii. Clarifies that ‘compulsory education’ means obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. ‘Free’ means that no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.
iii. Makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age appropriate class.
iv. Specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate Governments, local authority and parents in providing free and compulsory education, and sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the Central and State Governments.
v. Lays down the norms and standards relating inter alia to Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs), buildings and infrastructure, school-working days, teacher-working hours.
vi. Provides for rational deployment of teachers by ensuring that the specified pupil teacher ratio is maintained for each school, rather than just as an average for the State or District or Block, thus ensuring that there is no urban-rural imbalance in teacher postings. It also provides for prohibition of deployment of teachers for non-educational work, other than decennial census, elections to local authority, state legislatures and parliament, and disaster relief.
vii. Provides for appointment of appropriately trained teachers, i.e. teachers with the requisite entry and academic qualifications.
viii. Prohibits (a) physical punishment and mental harassment; (b) screening procedures for admission of children; (c) capitation fee; (d) private tuition by teachers and (e) running of schools without recognition,
ix. Provides for development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the child, building on the child’s knowledge, potentiality and talent and making the child free of fear, trauma and anxiety through a system of child friendly and child centred learning.


ERIC Number: ED537734
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Reference Count: N/A
2012 Utah State Literacy Improvement Report
Utah State Office of Education
Utah has successfully implemented a variety of endeavors to ensure literacy for all students. Proficiency rates in language arts in Utah have improved in all grade levels since 2005. Emphasis has been placed on grades K-3 and early intervention for students at risk. Resources available to these students include optional extended-day kindergarten, K-3 reading program, adoption of standards and assessments for testing multiple times in grades 1-3, ongoing professional development, and use of data to inform instruction. This report documents efforts made by Utah to increase proficiency in these early grades and their long term effects on proficiencies.
Descriptors: At Risk Students, Reading Programs, Reading Instruction, Early Intervention, Grade 1, Reading Skills, Language Arts, Kindergarten, Grade 3, Grade 2, Academic Standards, Testing Programs, Professional Development, School Schedules, Low Income Groups, Minority Groups, Student Diversity, Racial Differences, Financial Support, Literacy Education
Utah State Office of Education. 250 East 500 South, P.O. Box 144200, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200. Tel: 801-538-7500; Web site: http://www.schools.utah.gov
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 1; Grade 2; Grade 3; Kindergarten
Authoring Institution: Utah State Office of Education, Salt Lake City.
Identifiers - Location: Utah


The research presented in this report is a case study of a music education programme based on a participatory approach introduced in a community centre in the Praga-Południe district in Warsaw. Due to its short duration and narrow range of research activities, the study is exploratory in its nature. The research is an attempt to depict and analyse the characteristics of informal music education based on a participatory approach and to put a light on certain research areas, as well as to define specific research topics, for further investigation.
Our long-standing pedagogical experience in music education and educational projects aiming at social inclusion inspired us to make an attempt to describe the fundamental features of a participatory approach in education. We did not intend to create nor to introduce any new and innovative teaching methods, nor to focus on particular aspects of some of the methods already being used by music educators, in a comparative, competitive way. Rather, we wanted to make the first steps in defining a methodological framework broad enough to fit many methods and their individual variations. It is our intention to make the frame flexible, yet firm enough to support music teachers and facilitators aiming to create a safe and stimulating learning environment with the use of various forms of music making and improvisation. Sadly, the participatory approach in music education has not gained much attention in Poland so far. There are hardly any published papers based on local research and the majority of renown subject literature has not been yet translated into Polish, (Elliott 1995, 2015; Mills 2005; Chambers 2007). Therefore, the necessity of defining a flexible framework for creative teachers and facilitators working with children and teenagers in formal and informal education appears urgent.
One of the main challenges we had to face while joining the programme was to accommodate the proposed music education formula in order to make it fit in the tight schedule of an educational facility in which music is not (neither should be) a primary activity. We had to re-think and revise our initial ideas about the general function of music education in order to make all of the stakeholders (ie children, other educators, parents) and the whole of educational processes benefit from it. Some of the other key challenges were: no permanent group of participants (many of the children failed to attend regularly), significant age differences between participants and their diverse social and economic background. Moreover, a vast majority of the children did not own a musical instrument.


This section is designed to contain tutorials of an introductory nature. The term “basic” is perhaps misleading because it does not necessarily mean simple, it’s meant to indicate a starting point.
Quite often different computing disciplines have levels of difficulty and so gaining a basic understanding of a field before diving into the more complex elements of a topic is useful. A perfect example are the three different web design tutorials on this site:
If you’re interested in web design but have never touched it before then it’s obviously necessary to have a starting point which is what the basic tutorial is for. Should you have some knowledge and want to step in at a more advanced level then the other two allow for that.
Being an I.T. Professional requires solid foundational skills so starting with the basics regardless of ability and experience is often a valuable thing to do.


Ever wonder what STEM challenges to serve up to your students? Here is an amazing list of clever, unique and simple set up STEM lesson plans from other teachers. You’re going to love what your students come up with and the number of standards you can meet with these.
There is a range of grade level ideas K-5 in this list.
Think you could solve this Water Puddle Evaporation puzzle? You’ll love that there are 4 more easy stem activities for the end of the year including this outdoor one.
Drink up your experiment after you figure out How Hot is Hot? Chocolate with this temperature-based exploration activity.
What tools would work best to Create an Umbrella?
This Dr. Seuss themed Stack the Cat’s Hat uses cups – how easy is that!
Clever STEM Activities for Kids
Upper grade level students solve Real World Problems with Stem Activities like oil spills.
Can you make a Pristine Trampoline with a strainer and simple materials to bounce a ping pong ball?
This more involved building of Simple Machines will surely capture their attention as they try to make a snack machine!
Build a Computer Coding Game without a computer – perfect for helping superheros get to their destination.
What types of leftover Christmas supplies will make a quiet Christmas Jingle Bell?
Quick STEM Challenges
Making a Paper Plate Pinball Game looks like so much fun and an easy way to engage kids in STEM challenges.
Index Card Science is part magic trick and part challenge – how can you fit through an index card. Be sure to have tons of index cards on hand!
Turn Christmas excitement and turn it into learning with these 4 Christmas Steam Task cards that use easy materials.
Easter Egg Towers are a no-set up STEM challenge for young students.
Super Simple Materials for STEM Lessons
If you’ve got rubber bands stored away, then keep Bungee Barbie from dying with this unique stem science challenge. Just pick a flight of stairs in your building to use.
Figure out how many drops of water can fit on a penny with Penny Drops – so quick and easy.
Beef up the magnet powered car activity listed above with this Make it Move challenge to race a car across one end of the table to the other.
Getting kids to complete a Paper Bag Mystery each day in a week sounds like the perfect set of sub plans if you ask me!
Unique STEM Lesson Plans
This fairy tale based Parachute Man challenge encourages students to find a way to help Jack escape the beanstalk by making a parachute for a Lego man.
Bring in your box fan from home to see what type of Paper Fliers can fly high, in circles or fit a requirement challenge of your choosing.
Determine how strong a single piece of paper is with Stem Shape columns to hold a stack of books.
Students create their own Lego Brain Puzzles to make a 10×10 square. Make sure they document the solution to their own puzzle before handing it over to someone else to solve!
Free STEM Challenges Printables for the Classroom
Get students thinking on the challenge and preparing their experiment with free Lab Sheets to download.
Get lined paper, graph paper and more with these Stem Notebook Printables so you can make your own!
Get Role Cards along with lots of other free resources to get started making your stem lesson plans.
Make a Mini Journal to plan and execute stem construction projects with these free printables.
Now you’ve got tons of ideas to plug into your lesson plans – and most don’t require complicated materials. How great is that? You’re set to serve up creative, unique and simple STEM lesson plans in a snap.
More Science for Kids
- Clouds Science for Kids: 23 Smart Ideas for the Classroom
- 13 Frog Life Cycle Resources and Printables
- 21 Landforms for Kids Activities and Lesson Plans
- 19 Fun Ideas & Resources for Force and Motion
Like what you've found?
Get creative and free teacher articles - delivered to your inbox weekly.
p.s. A bonus pack of 11 printable classroom posters are headed your way!


DEPARTMENT OF ART EDUCATION
COURSE: ICT IN EDUCATION
LECTURER: DR HARRY BARTON ESSEL
NAME: EPILOGUE ANNKU
YEAR: MHIL 1
EXAM NUMBER: PG7230212
How can micro-lecture be used interminably to influence teaching and learning higher-level education?
Digital media has become a part of students’ daily life due to the dissemination of digital technology. Due to the continuous emergence of new technology, more and more students want to use hi-tech electronic devices for learning. Digital media can be used to support learning activities in and out of school in both formal and informal situations (Ficheman and Lopes, 2008). Typically students are interested in using new technology like mobile phones, tablet computers, game computers, iTunes, video recordings, iPhones, iPods, iPads and social media programs like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flicker. Therefore there is a demand for the creation of tools that enable students to learn according to their current habits, at their own pace and time. (Bagarukayo et al. 2011). This is where the term micro-lecture comes into play. The micro - lecture is not used here to refer to micro-content for micro-learning, but to actual instructional content that is formatted for online and mobile learning using a constructivist approach. A micro-lecture is a short recorded audio or video presentation on a single, tightly defined topic. Used as a component of online, blended, or face-to-face teaching, these brief lectures can be interspersed with learning activities that reinforce lecture topics. In addition, micro-lectures provide a self-help resource for students, either at the time of the lesson or later for review, explaining key concepts or demonstrating techniques that might be difficult to master. The abbreviated format of these lectures can be highly effective by focusing students’ attention on a single topic for a short time, limiting the opportunities for distraction. Because students control the playback, they can refer to the instructor’s presentation as often as needed. Micro-lecture’s influence in teaching and learning in higher-level education There are lots of reasons why micro-lectures are a great addition to the classroom and have influence on teaching and learning in higher education. It is useful because, most students in higher education are workers and as such majority of them cannot make to lectures. The reason being that, their schools and jobs are not in the same town so with micro-lecture in our institutions, it will help make knowledge accessible to all. Also, according to Ficheman and Lopes, (2008) it is believed that using new technology for learning may enhance the students’ learning interest and motivation since it is easy to use and enables students learning outside the classroom. Today’s students engage in learning activities in different spaces, time and situations. When used interminably some of its influence on teaching and learning in higher-level education are as follows: Micro-lectures are easy to integrate into the curriculum because they can be used in a variety of ways and are short enough to fit almost anywhere. They can be posted as a trailer on a course site to be viewed by students before the course begins. Prior to class, they might introduce a topic, raise awareness, or pique curiosity. Afterward, they might cover points only touched on in the session lecture, going beyond the facts to explore the implications. Activities or written follow-up assignments can easily be embedded in a micro-lecture to ensure that students understand the material presented. The brevity of the form gives instructors the ability to make quick fixes, tweaking or updating course content as needed. In some instances, particularly where they cover basic concepts, these brief lectures can be a reusable resource, available in more than one course or to more than one instructor. They can be used to explain or reinforce a difficult concept; students can view these lectures...
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Exercising the Ecological Imagination Representing the Futur
Transcript of Exercising the Ecological Imagination Representing the Futur
- Joy Bertling
Mapping and Researching Place
Students connect their cultural and personal experiences to map out an important place in the community (key locations)
Helps students understand cultural aspects of geography
Research to familiarize with the chosen place
Ecological imagination is needed in place-based art
Students envision better ecological features of places in the community through interest, research, mapping, and design
"As relationships form between students and place. Students exercise their ecological imagination emphasizing with place to expand their knowledge to the world around them."
Studying Art Representing Alternatives of Place
Global Warming in New York
Concepts of Evolution
What is place-based art education???
Place-based refers to a local community. This type of art education situates learning directly in the realm of community and environment.
Drawing The Future of Place
Alexis Rockman: contemporary artist with realistic detailed paintings of place addressing consequences of human actions on the enviornment
Students imagine alternative ecological features for chosen place in the community
Teacher invites community members from local organizations who are dedicated to the "green initiative" to speak to the class
Students use what they know in art to create their alternative ecological place
The article is centralized around the idea of place-based art education in a group of 6th 7th and 8th graders who are working toward expanding their ecological imagination.
1. Studying art representing alternatives of place
2. Mapping and researching place
3. Drawing the future of place


Research-Based Reading Instruction for Students with Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities
Learn how our approach works for students with dyslexia:
What Does the Research Say?
Yale researchers, Drs. Sally Shaywitz and Bennet Shaywitz, have shown that when people with dyslexia and other processing disorders try to read, a front part of the brain is over-stimulated while crucial portions in the center and back are under-stimulated. The diagrams show stimulated areas of the brain during reading:
Because dyslexia is a neurological, language-based learning disability, if individuals are taught in the way their brains learn, they can become proficient in the necessary language-based skills (i.e., speaking, reading, spelling, and writing) for success in school, work, and life.
Research has been clear that individuals with dyslexia must receive explicit, sequential, systematic, and multi-sensory Orton Gillingham-based reading instruction to find success. This is what their brains need. This is the way their brains learn.
How Can Reading Horizons Help?
Reading Horizons is a research-based methodology that teaches the foundational language skills in an explicit, systematic, sequential, and multi-sensory fashion. The program provides individuals with proven, Orton Gillingham-based reading strategies that take them from the most basic foundational skills through all of the five pillars of reading (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension).
Activates Brain with Multi-Sensory Approach
The Reading Horizons multi-sensory delivery method helps activate several areas of the brain by including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic cues that allow students to make the connections needed for meaningful interactions with text.
Follows a Logical Sequence
The instruction is sequential, starting with the simplest concepts and building to the more complex. The concepts build through consistent instructional patterns with a simple, familiar framework that aids with efficient storage and retrieval of the skills taught. These instructional patterns also aid in working memory function.
Provides Continuous Assessment
Reading Horizons offers immediate, corrective feedback, whether the instruction is teacher-guided or software-based. This allows students to move through the program quickly and find success early-on, boosting their reading skills and providing continual motivation.
Builds Confidence and Self-Esteem
Reading Horizons provides dyslexics with reading strategies that help them make sense of reading. The instruction and practice activities meet their specific needs. This provides a safe and encouraging environment that facilitates success. Success leads to an increase in self-esteem, allowing students to realize their potential.


This glossary explains key terms associated with the Core Principles and developmental education.
Co-requisite support. Co-requisite support refers not to a single model of instruction but encompasses a variety of integrated and contextualized mandatory academic and nonacademic supports necessary for student success in gateway courses. Examples include: additional hours of class time; stretch classes spread over two semesters; a two-hour computer lab with a mentor; or embedded and contextualized content in a technical course.
Default placement. The practice of routinely placing students in credit-bearing math and English gateway courses to help them get started on a program of study. Default means it is not mandatory, but it is what will happen absent a proactive diagnostic and advising process as part of the college intake experience.
Degrees and certificates of value. Postsecondary credentials that are in demand in the workforce and therefore lead to livable wage job opportunities and/or provide a sound foundation for further education and training.
Equity. Equity is the principle of fairness. In higher education, equity involves ensuring that each student receives what he or she needs to be successful. Achievement gaps may reflect structural inequities when disparities are the result of historic and systemic social injustices or the unintended or indirect consequences of institutional or social policies. Many equity-conscious postsecondary institutions and their supporters believe that access to high-quality education within an inclusive environment that supports and promotes student success is the right of all individuals and a necessity for the continued advancement of a strong democracy and workforce.
Gateway courses. The first college-level or foundational courses and course sequences for a program of study. Gateway courses are for college credit and apply to the requirements of a degree. They are designed to engage and enable students to master foundational skills needed for their chosen pathway.
Meta-major. A set of broad content areas that students choose upon enrollment at a postsecondary institution. An academic pathway includes a set of courses that meet academic requirements that are common across several disciplines and specific programs of study. Enrollment and completion of academic pathway courses guide students through initial academic requirements and into programs of study.
Programs of study. An articulated set of courses, learning experiences and learning outcomes required for a postsecondary credential that are defined by academic departments within colleges and universities and encompass the requirements for earning a postsecondary credential.
Remedial education. Instruction and support for students who are assessed by their institution of choice as being academically underprepared for postsecondary education (also variously described as developmental education, college prep, basic skills education and other terms, all referring to pre-collegiate work).


ERIC Number: ED559005
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 72
The Economic Impact of Achievement Gaps in Pennsylvania's Public Schools. Research Report
Karoly, Lynn A.
This study documents the magnitude of the gaps in student performance for public school students in Pennsylvania and estimates the economic consequences of those education performance gaps. Although Pennsylvania is one of the top-scoring states on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on average, the achievement gaps between students classified by race-ethnicity, economic status, and parent education are among the largest in the country. For eighth-grade reading and math, the share of white students in Pennsylvania achieving proficiency or above exceeds the share for African-American and Latino students by as much as 24 to 38 percentage points, depending on the assessment and subject. There are equally large differences in student achievement based on family economic status and parent education, as well as sizeable gaps in performance across school districts. If race-ethnic or socioeconomic achievement gaps were eliminated, average achievement scores for Pennsylvania would match Massachusetts' result (the top-scoring state on the NAEP) and likely place the state among the top-scoring countries internationally. The study applies several methods to value the cost of existing gaps in terms of current economic performance and to value the benefits that would accrue in the future from closing current gaps. Notably, race-ethnic academic achievement gaps amount to an estimated annual cost of $1 billion to $3 billion in lost earnings, which equates to 6 to 15 percent of the earnings for African-American and Latino workers. If student performance gaps based on race-ethnicity or family economic status were closed for future cohorts, each annual cohort in Pennsylvania would gain $3 billion to $5 billion in present-value lifetime compensation and nonmarket benefits. These social gains from closing race-ethnic gaps equate to approximately $83,000 to $125,000 in present-value dollars per African-American and Latino student. The following are appended: (1) Data Sources on Student Academic Performance; (2) Supplemental Tables; and (3) Methods for Economic Analysis.
Descriptors: Achievement Gap, Public Schools, Economic Factors, Racial Differences, Ethnic Groups, Socioeconomic Influences, Low Income Groups, Parent Background, Educational Attainment, Grade 8, Reading Achievement, Mathematics Achievement, State Standards, National Standards, Foreign Countries, Scores, Achievement Tests, Statistical Analysis
RAND Corporation. P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138. Tel: 877-584-8642; Tel: 310-451-7002; Fax: 412-802-4981; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org; Web site: http://www.rand.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Grade 8; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Elementary Education; Secondary Education
Sponsor: Temple University, Center on Regional Politics
Authoring Institution: RAND Corporation; RAND Education
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania; United States
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress; Program for International Student Assessment


Over the past several decades, tutoring and test prep programs have become commonplace. In some areas, the question for families is not whether their children will enroll in a test prep program but where they will enroll. It’s hardly surprising, then, that many families find themselves wondering whether test prep programs really work.
When done right, test prep programs provide students with a wide range of benefits, from higher test scores to stronger study skills to improved confidence. The key to a successful test prep program, like those offered at C2 Education, is personalization: No two students are exactly alike, so their test prep shouldn’t be exactly alike either.
Do Test Prep Programs Increase Scores?
Test creators like the College Board have long argued that test prep programs don’t significantly boost scores, a flawed argument that ignores the wide range of available programs. Recently, however, the College Board announced that certain test prep programs actually could result in score gains. In a statement released on May 8, 2017, the College Board shared results of a year-long study of scores on the redesigned SAT that found that test prep through the College Board’s Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy was associated with significant SAT score gains.
Not all test prep programs are created equal. It’s worth noting that the College Board’s study was limited to students who utilized Khan Academy resources for test prep; it did not examine the effects of other test prep programs. In a statement to the Washington Post, College Board spokesman Zachary Goldberg attributed the score increases to “practice that is personalized to pinpoint areas where learners need additional help,” nothing that “preparing for the new SAT is the same as preparing for college.”
C2 Education has long recognized the benefits of a personalized, holistic approach to test prep. A C2 Education program goes beyond simply drilling students on SAT or ACT questions to ensure that students focus on building the foundational skills necessary for success not only on standardized tests but also in the classroom and in college.
What Are the Benefits of Test Prep?
A good test prep program should, of course, strive to increase test scores, but it should also help students to master skills beyond test-taking. To succeed in a test prep program, students must also learn time management and organization skills, general study skills, and key foundational skills in reading, writing, and math, all of which help students succeed far beyond test day.
C2 Education’s teachers help students to increase test scores by becoming more effective learners. They tailor their approach to each individual student in order to help that student discover the learning methods that best suit his or her particular needs. Such an approach doesn’t just create better test takers – it creates better students.
Do Test Scores Translate to Future Success?
Both the College Board and ACT, Inc. cite research indicating that higher scores on their tests correlate with greater success in college, and this makes sense. After all, the skills necessary to succeed on the SAT or ACT – self-motivation, consistent effort, strong problem-solving, and a sturdy foundation of knowledge – are the very skills necessary for success in college.
When Should Test Prep Start?
Test prep is a marathon, not a sprint. Ideally, students should begin preparing for the SAT or ACT months in advance, particularly if they hope for large score gains. It takes time to properly build the skills that result in true academic success.
With summer right around the corner, now is the perfect time to begin test prep. The weeks away from school provide an excellent opportunity for students to truly focus on their SAT prep or ACT prep without other academic demands. To help students take advantage of this opportunity, C2 Education is offering SAT and ACT Boot Camps during the summer. These programs help students stay academically sharp while getting a jump start on test prep.
Blog Author: Ashley Zahn Ashley joined C2 Education in 2008. Since then, she has been instrumental in developing C2 Education’s unique line of curriculum materials, helped hundreds of students through C2 Education’s college admission essay help service, and shared her expertise in the fields of education and college admissions through the C2 Education blog.
https://www.c2educate.com/wp-content/uploads/student-with-a-plus-on-test.jpg14272100C2 Educationhttps://www.c2educate.com/wp-content/uploads/logo.pngC2 Education2017-05-26 12:20:382018-05-16 10:45:19The Value of Test Prep


In this excerpt from her essay literacy development for latino students (the best for our children: critical perspectives on literacy for latino students, teacher's college press), the author describes the reading program she uses to take her reluctant readers from dreading the library to not wanting to put a book down. In some cases, it is the classroom culture that prompts or supports reluctant readers and writers to want to engage with literacy tasks, resulting in their being midway through the year, ms warren told carly that she had a lot to say and suggested that she submit one particular essay to the school literary magazine, the mag. Lissa dallas motivates students by incorporating fun and engagement while learning a foreign language motivating the reluctant learner can be a real challenge everyone has challenges in getting motivated for a particular situation, but it takes a certain skill in identifying ways to reach the reluctant learner. But dimichele, an english teacher at henry e lackey high school in indian head, maryland, had never faced a challenge like the one she walked into this summer—a classroom full of students who had just failed ninth-grade english reluctant writers some of her students had never finished an essay. In one middle school situation, there were students who were reluctant to pick up their pencil, let alone write a whole composition from middle school and high school teachers (and parents) asking me if the pattern based writing: quick & easy essay writing program will work with their remedial and reluctant writers. The introduction of learning technology and the changing workplace recently increased the importance of adult learning however, there comes the problem of motivating adult learners there are a few things that stand in the way to motivating adults to start learning 17 tips to motivate adult learners.
Classroom examples: if i know that i have a reluctant learner in my western civilization class, i know that it's going to be difficult to make the study of ancient rome pertinent and relevant if in his learning portfolio i discover that he's really into dirt-bike riding and motocross racing, i will probably try to get him into some. Whether it's story time, a free write, a term paper, or a research essay, some kids perk right up when they hear that it's time to write hey, when you've got the bug, you've got the bug but other students sink down in their seats like they wish they could disappear or go outside or clean the chalkboard or do hundreds and. Category: essays papers title: reluctant learners and the causes.
Eddie emphasized that reluctant learners are not necessarily incapable learners if you make those assumptions about a student, you can be sure he or she will most definitely become reluctant eddie reminded me of one incident when he was supposed to write an essay but didn't want to do the. Whether they're shy, unprepared, or simply reluctant to share their ideas, getting students to participate is a constant struggle facilitate more effective discussions tips for encouraging student participation in classroom discussions will help essays, exams, and oral presentations type the words “ class participation.
The most surprising finding is that neither of the learner groups organize information in terms of temporal relations norwegian learners introduce a few conjunctions that signal the initial stage of a writer's arguments or a concluding remark russian learners are reluctant to organize their essays in a sequence of arguments. For instance, if the reward provided by an adult education course is a job referral, then the job referral should be offered for having learned specific skills—such as being able to write a coherent essay—and not for merely having completed a set of tasks, such as completing all course exercises in this case, the learner's.


ERIC Number: ED422331
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1998-May
Reference Count: N/A
Growth in School: Achievement Gains from the Fourth to the Eighth Grade. Policy Information Report.
Barton, Paul E.; Coley, Richard J.
The Third International Mathematics and Science Study disclosed that while U.S. students did well in the fourth grade in comparison with students from other countries, they had slipped considerably by eighth grade. This study was conducted to see what could be learned about achievement growth between grades 4 and 8. Achievement growth was investigated using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which has been redesigned so that it is possible to track cohorts of students and to determine the value-added in terms of education between fourth and eighth grades. When NAEP cohort records were examined, it was found that the average NAEP scores of students are slightly higher today than those of students of 20 or 25 years ago, but the same is not true of cohort growth between grades 4 and 8. Cohort growth is the same as, or lower than, it was for the earliest period for which data are available. When individual states are studied, there is little cohort growth between the fourth and eighth grades. Measuring and examining cohort growth has the potential to provide a new and important dimension in understanding trends in educational achievement. Research must then determine the factors related to cohort growth changes. (Contains 5 tables and 11 figures.) (SLD)
Descriptors: Achievement Gains, Cohort Analysis, Educational Trends, Elementary Education, Elementary School Students, Grade 4, Grade 8, International Studies, Mathematics Achievement, National Surveys, Science Education
Policy Information Center, Mailstop 04-R, Educational Testing Service, Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ 08541-0001; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org; World Wide Web: http://www.ets.org/research
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ. Policy Information Center.
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study


To see all of the work I do for TES Maths, including Resource of the Week, Inspect the Spec, Maths Newsletters and Topic Collections, please visit the TES Maths Blog here
What is it?
I love this simple, engaging activity that helps students practice their key numeracy skills. It consists of a bright, colourful Excel file that is able to generate a random 4 digit number, and a worksheet. But that is all you need! Once the number has been generated, students are then challenged to write down things like: the biggest number, the smallest odd number, the smallest three digit number, the…
Continue reading at:


The Third International Comics Conference: 'Comics Rock!' will take place at Bournemouth University on 28-29th June 2012. Organised by Studies in Comics and the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, the team are now inviting proposals for papers, posters and workshops on:
• Comics and Education (Thursday 28th June 2012)
Including the first UK screening of Todd Kent's film Comic Book Literacy (which was Best Documentary Winner at Phoenix Comicon 2010) and additional speakers tbc.
There is an increased interest in using and teaching the comics medium in schools, colleges and universities. There is also an increasing use of comics in support of other areas of the school curriculum. However, there are also many challenges for teachers regarding how to use and teach comics in the context of schools and they often have to contend with continuing perceptions of the medium as problematic. Reading for pleasure is a key aspect of the increased use of the medium in school settings and libraries are often instrumental in initiating reading groups.
Papers are invited that discuss any aspect of comics in education, including but not limited to the following:
- teaching comics at various levels and within different disciplines, e.g. issues, theories, effects, current debates
- using comics to support specific elements of the curriculum (e.g. Raymond Briggs' Ethel and Ernest in relation to English history)
- comics, graphic novels and manga used laterally e.g. manga as a way of learning about elements of Japanese culture, or superheroes in PSHE; or using titles in a range of languages to encourage reading for pleasure; or Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland as local history
- using comics to support literacy development (history, practice and controversies)
- comics in school libraries and classroom collections e.g. wider reading, reading for pleasure
- school and library manga and graphic novel reading groups
- children and young peoples' awards for graphic novels and manga run through schools and libraries e.g. the Stan Lee Excelsior award
- creating comics, e.g. as assessment (formative or summative), or elsewhere in the curriculum (from short strips to publications like Fool's Gold, a school project from Dearne High Specialist Humanities College in Rotherham that produced a book available for purchase - see review here)
- the use of comics-related software in the classroom e.g. Comic Life
- Studying comics as comics, e.g. approaches to graphic novels and manga, illustration, writing, the practice/theory crossover, history, notions of canon and so forth
- educational and online resources, e.g. availability, usefulness, other associated issues (The Maryland Comic Book Initiative, S.A.N.E., Comics in the Classroom)
- associations and forums, e.g. their structure, purpose, strategies (America's National Association of Comic Art Educators, The Comix Scholars List, The UK Comics Scholars List)
Comics and Multi-Modal Adaptation (Friday 29th June 2012)
Keynote industry speakers tbc.
Adaptations seem to saturate the mass media and this conference will examine recent debates focusing on comics. The most prevalent comics adaptations are those of the superhero; whose emphasis on spectacle and special effects seem especially attractive to film and television companies.
However, in her Theory of Adaptation, Linda Hutcheon proposes we think beyond the originality of an adaptation and instead regard adaptation as a central issue within storytelling. The adaptation can then be located within the contexts of its production, reception, and the constraints and possibilities of media forms.
This conference aims to take the debate beyond superhero movies by focusing on other genres and media and examining some of the more unusual aspects of adaptation.
Suggested topics include:
- comics and film, e.g. autobiography (American Splendor, Persepolis), drama (A History of Violence), history, documentary, biography
- adaptations of comics from and to other media, e.g. comic to video game
- historic adaptations, e.g. the output of Gold Key and Dell
- fairytale adaptations, e.g. Fables, The Unwritten
- new ways of promoting or pitching a story, e.g. the use of comics as a way into film and television (30 Days of Night)
- audience experiences of the adapted text, e.g. the effects of primacy and familiarity, experiencing the adaptation before or after the source text
- adaptation as a creative act
- responses to an adaptation, e.g. fans, creators (Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman's criticisms of Hollywood adaptations), writers, artists
- tropes and devices incorporated into comics, e.g. Choose your own Adventure, pop-ups
- use of a comics aesthetic in other media
- comparative studies, e.g. in contrasting representations of icons (Walk the Line versus Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness)


ERIC Number: ED164193
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1978-Oct
Reference Count: N/A
An Evaluation Report of the North Dakota Indian Language Studies Program: In the Schools.
Ahler, Janet; Perrone, Vito
In collaboration with native speakers, linguists at Mary College in 1973 established the North Dakota Indian Language Studies Program, which has provided native language instruction in three reservation elementary schools, prepared teaching and learning materials, and trained teachers in native language pedagogy. The program was initiated to maintain as much integrity as possible to the cultures of the Arikara, Hidatsa, and Mandan tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Educational materials included teachers' guides, booklets of traditional tales of the respective tribes, and visual aids. Two of the schools included kindergarten through sixth grades in the language instruction, one served grades K-8. Classes were conducted 15 minutes a day two, four, and five days a week, depending on the school. Some 160 elementary students and 33 college students received language instruction in the program. To evaluate the educational materials and language instruction, interviews were conducted with 50 people, including teachers, school administrators, parents, and students. All five native language teachers found the teaching materials effective, as did the four administrators and 11 of the 12 non-program teachers. All but one of the total respondents indicated they would like to see the native language classes continued; 32 of the 36 teachers, administrators, and parents queried considered the program to be successful. Most of the school personnel believed the classes promoted a postive self-image for the students. Program evaluators found a "tremendous feeling of pride" among the people of the communities that their children were learning the native language. (DS)
Descriptors: American Indian Languages, American Indian Reservations, American Indians, Bilingualism, Cultural Education, Elementary Education, Instructional Materials, Language Attitudes, Language Instruction, Language Programs, Program Evaluation, Second Language Learning, Teacher Education, Tribes
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Sponsor: National Endowment for the Humanities (NFAH), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: North Dakota Univ., Grand Forks. Center for Teaching and Learning.


At Better Reading Kids we love sharing great stories with children. Reading together is chilling out and bonding time, when you get to explore imaginary worlds and play with words. We’re passionate readers ourselves, and there’s nothing like passing your own passion on to kids.
We also understand that reading with kids gives them a great start in terms of literacy, academic achievement and emotional development.
We’re always keen to know more about the impact books can have on kids’ lives. This week we came across three interesting facts:
The number of books in their home has a greater impact on a child’s educational success than their parents’ education, family economic situation or the country they live in.
Livescience.com reported on research published in the journal ‘Research in Social Stratification and Mobility’, which showed that the number of books a child has access to at home is a very significant predictor of their educational success.
The results were based on data from 73,249 people living in 27 countries.
Previously, it was thought that the parents’ level of education was the most significant predictor for educational attainment. But the study found that in the U.S, having books in the home has as much impact as having university-educated parents.
And overall, having books in the home is twice as important as the father’s education level, and more important than whether a child grew up in China or the United States.
Bedtime reading is not just great for kids when they’re kids: it can set up lifetime habits that will help deal with stress in adulthood.
Readbrightly.com featured an article by Janet Krone Kennedy, PhD, about the benefits of reading to kids at bedtime. They include language and literacy development, physical closeness to their parents, and “it also gives older kids an opportunity to soften their defences and talk about things that might be troubling them.”
Bedtime reading provides focus and distraction from daily life, so kids can filter out the world and allow the feeling of fatigue to take over. Kennedy says “because bedtime reading happens when the child is tired and relaxed, it becomes associated with those feelings. Over time, bedtime reading actually triggers and enhances the sleepiness and relaxation because of that association. With repetition, bedtime reading becomes a very powerful sleep cue.”
More than that, Kennedy has found through her own experience and in her clinical psychology practice that adults struggling with poor sleep often benefit from returning to that bedtime-reading practice they learned as kids.
Many children as old as eleven don’t want their parents to stop reading aloud to them.
The big children’s publishing house Scholastic published their regular “Reading Report” some months ago now but we’re still catching up with some of the detail in it, including this observation:
Kids often want to be read aloud to, even once they’re reading independently. 60% of the kids surveyed who were aged 9-11 were no longer being read to at home. But 34% of those kids actually wanted the reading aloud to continue.
(Scholastic’s survey was based on 2,558 parents and children in the U.S.)
We say, go out and enjoy some stories with your kids, knowing it’s a good thing for all sorts of reasons!


One questions that comes up a fair amount in lessons – especially lessons with younger students faced with new or difficult repertoire – is “can you play this so I can hear how it goes”? Most of the time, my answer is something along the lines of “yes, but everything you need to know is written on the music”, and then we can start picking apart the specific challenge(s) in the piece.
But is there a better way to learn repertoire quickly and efficiently?
Model Performance: Helpful or Not?
Interestingly, a study published in the Journal of Research for Music Education took a much more scientific approach to finding out whether listening to a model performance or recording can help improve learning and retention of a new piece of music.
Here is how the study went down, from the abstract of the study:
During evening training sessions, 32 nonpianist musicians practiced a 13-note keyboard melody with their left (nondominant) hand in twelve 30-s practice intervals separated by 30-s rest intervals. Participants were instructed to play the sequence “as quickly, accurately,
and evenly as possible.” Approximately half the participants, prior to the first practice interval, listened to 10 repetitions of the target melody played at 552 tones per minute (half note = 138). All participants were tested on the target melody the following morning, approximately 12 hr after training, in three 30-s blocks separated by 30-s rest intervals. Performance was measured in terms of the mean number of correct key presses per 30-s block.
The 13-note melody:
The Results? No (Real) Surprises
The results of the study showed that both groups – those that listened to a recording of the melody and those that simply practiced it without the recording – both improved during their evening practice session. This isn’t (or shouldn’t be) any sort of a surprise – practicing improves performance.
Perhaps more interestingly, both groups also improved overnight between the evening practice session and the next morning’s test session. This isn’t a huge surprise, either, since other studies have shown that good consistent sleep – especially when you get into the realm of deep sleep, where it’s difficult to be awoken – can help improve the small motor skills associated with playing any instrument at a high level.
Regarding the group of participants who listened to the recording vs. those who did not, the group that listened to the recording did noticeably and consistently better than the group that did not. The recording group began the study with an average of 52.18 correct key presses per 30s block (CKP/B), and by the end of the evening practice session had pushed that average up to 99.96 CKP/B – an improvement of 92%. At the same time, the non-recording group began with an average CKP/B of 48.71 and managed to increase that average to 84.16 CKP/B – an improvement of only 73%.
The disparity continued during the following morning’s test, when the recording group pushed their average up to 108.75 CKP/B (a further increase of 9%), while the non-recording group only increased their average to 87.24 CKP/B (a 4% increase).
Clearly, then, listening to a recording is always the way to go, right? Not so fast…
There Is Always a “But”
While this study does a good job at demonstrating the clear advantages of using a recording or model performance to assist in learning music under some circumstances, there are some important things to consider.
Remember, all the participants in this study were musicians that only had secondary training in piano. This means that even without the recording, they were able to look at the music and determine the notes, rhythm, and intervals of the 13-note exercise. They were not using the recording as a substitute for counting and internalizing rhythms and ear training.
Additionally, this study used a very short and simple musical excerpt and very easy-to-quantify measurement: how fast can you correctly play these 13 notes. The vast majority of music is more complex and has much more nuance (at least, one would hope so) than this. To me, this study, while useful, actually gives me more questions than answers:
- Does listening to a recording lock you into a particular interpretation or does it provide a useful starting point?
- Does it matter if the music is thoroughly marked (Romantic, Neo-classical, etc.) or if it is more dependent on the performer to add interpretation (Classical and Baroque)?
- Are multiple recordings better than one single recording – especially in highly interpretive works?
- What if the model recording is atypical of the traditions of a piece or style?
- What if there’s no recording available?
What are your thoughts – let me know in the comments!


Reading can be a child’s greatest gift
To the Editor:
Did you know that reading aloud is the best gift that a parent can give to their child?
In Jim Trelease’s The Read Aloud Handbook, reading aloud to children at all ages is proven to improve their academic success. Parents have the greatest influence on their child’s life. Usually, people believe that children spend most of their time in school. Therefore, teachers have the greatest influence; yet, that is not true.
Children spend 900 hours a year in school and 7,800 hours a year at home. If parents devote at least fifteen minutes of their time to read aloud, their children are already more skilled at reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It is never too early to read to your child; parents should begin reading to their child as soon as the third trimester of pregnancy. Early reading is still effective.
Trelease shares a story about Erin Hassett and how her parents began reading to her on day one. Erin’s mother, Linda, was a teacher for 22 years. Everything she recommended for her student’s parents, she applied to Erin. Linda kept a journal of their reading experiences and one listed “nine books after breakfast; 10 books and four poems after lunch; and seven books after dinner.”
This probably seems like a lot of reading, but it wasn’t for Linda and her little girl. After Linda would finish a book, Erin would keep asking for another. At 14 months, Erin showed an interest in books and actively listened, pointed, said words, and made sounds. At about 24 months, Erin spoke complete sentences and had a vocabulary of a thousand words. Even though years went on, Erin and Linda’s reading time never diminished. These read-aloud moments led to Erin’s success on reading tests, SATs, and graduating college with the top GPA in her class.
Trelease shares this story to show how influential reading aloud to your child truly is; reading aloud sets your child up for success beyond the classroom. Reading to your child should be a time to bond with them, teach them, and watch them develop. Children learn from parents, so showing a love for reading will help them love reading as well. Parents have the power to instill the love for reading in their child by simply loving it themselves.
If parents have more than one child, reading aloud should be done separately for a more intimate bond. Believe it or not, this time for reading is the best prep course you can give your child. Trelease states, “students who read the most also read the best, achieve the most, and stay in school the longest.”
All it takes is a parent, a child, and a picture storybook to ensure that your child is a successful reader and learner. Always make this special time relaxing and enjoyable. Parents should use reading aloud as rewards. For example, “Suzy if you finish your homework early, I’ll read you your favorite bedtime story!” This will make the child excited for that special time you two share together. Remember, children can be read to at all ages and it will continue to benefit their reading abilities. This special time will only benefit your child in the long run. All it takes to be a good parent is fifteen minutes and a book! So, don’t waste another minute; cozy up with your child and dive into a reading adventure!
Angela Celani is a sophomore at Stonehill College. She is an elementary education and psychology double major in the class of 2020. Her hometown is Chepachet and she graduated from La Salle Academy.


The ABC, See, Hear, Do Series makes it simple to teach beginning reading skills in a way that addresses the needs of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners. Four books are available thus far:
- ABC, See, Hear, Do: Learn to Read 55 Words
- ABC, See, Hear, Do 2: Blended Beginning Sounds, Learn to Read 51 More Words
- ABC, See, Hear, Do: Writing Practice
- ABC, See, Hear, Do: Coloring Book
The first two books provide the phonics instruction, the third teaches children how to print letters, and the fourth reinforces lessons through coloring activities.
Children should already have been introduced to the letters of the alphabet before starting the first book. The book teaches the sounds of letters in groups of four letters at a time then introduces vowel-consonant-vowel words made up of only three of those letters. For example, the first four letters taught are c, a, m, and t. The words taught are cat and mat. If a child is not yet ready to blend sounds into words, don’t worry. Just continue to teach the individual letters and return later to work on blending.
Each letter is taught with a cartoon character illustration and hand motions. The letter c is illustrated with cat with outstretched claws. At the top of the page it shows “C…c…C”—both upper- and lower-case letters. The parent or teacher is to pronounce the sound of the letter rather than its name. At the bottom of the page it presents the hand motion: “Make your hands like claws and scratch.” Similarly, a flamingo illustrates the letter f, and its motion is “Flap your arms like a flamingo.” When words are presented, the small image of the animal for each letter is immediately below each letter as a visual reminder of the action and sound of the letter. This method of presentation is likely to be effective with children whether they learn best by hearing, seeing, or doing, since it involves all three activities.
The sets of practice words for new group of letters increases to four words per set, then five. On these pages, words are all presented in upper-case letters. At the end of the book, two pages have lists of words for practice, with 48 words per page. One page features words printed with all upper-case letters and other presents a different set of words, all with lower-case letters.
ABC, See, Hear, Do: Writing Practice helps children learn to print both lower- and upper-case letters individually, so it fits perfectly alongside or after ABC, See, Hear, Do: Learn to Read 55 Words.
ABC, See, Hear, Do: Coloring Book also works best alongside the first book since pages are blackline versions of the pages within the first book that teach the individual letters. Pages include the same text as the pages in the instructional book.
ABC, See, Hear, Do 2: Blended Beginning Sounds, Learn to Read 51 More Words teaches consonant digraphs such as bl, sc, and th, all used in short-vowel words like blot, scab, and that. As with the first book, cartoon characters illustrate each phonogram, and there is an action to help children remember the phonogram. For example, the phonogram cl is illustrated with a clam, and the motion is, “Palms together, open and close your hands like a clam.” Three new words are presented for every phonogram, and a list of 40 practice words is on a page at the back. This book sticks with only lower-case letters rather than mixing both cases.
Kindle versions are available for the first two instructional books, and these will work well if you have a device that will display them in color rather than on a black-and-white screen.
These books present only the beginning of a phonetic program for learning to read, but they offer a simple, interactive way to do so that should be enjoyable for both children and their parents.


ERIC Number: ED413674
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1997
Reference Count: N/A
World Class Elementary Schools: Agenda for Action.
Haynes, Richard M.; Chalker, Donald M.
Many school systems across the country promise a world-class education for their students. This book defines what a world-class elementary school is and provides guidance for those wishing to lead their schools to meet the standards. Chapter 1 introduces the definition of world-class schools and identifies 10 nations that represent the finest education systems in the world: Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Taiwan, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the American elementary school and its historical and philosophical evolution. The following six chapters present elements of world-class education: curriculum and instruction, teaching, governance, assessment, students, and parents and communities. Each of the six chapters contains an abstract, a discussion of the topic's global perspective, and an agenda for developing a world-class elementary school. Chapters 9 and 10 describe characteristics of elementary schools in New Zealand and Japan. The final chapter provides an overview of what world-class elementary schools could look like in the United States, including suggestions for staff development and planning, and a checklist for planning an agenda for action. Contains an index, chapter references, 16 tables, and 11 figures. (LMI)
Descriptors: Academic Standards, Comparative Education, Curriculum Design, Economic Development, Educational Assessment, Elementary Education, Foreign Countries, Governance, International Education, Student Evaluation, Teaching (Occupation)
Technomic Publishing Company, Inc., 851 New Holland Ave., Box 3535, Lancaster, PA 17604 ($44.95).
Publication Type: Books
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan; New Zealand


New Church Road was originally laid out as an elegant approach road to St.George’s church – new at the time – but contained some poor housing by 1898. After the war, houses started to be cleared and prefabs were built in this area of the park. Back down New Church Road, outside the park, stands Evelina Mansions. With its decorative flourishes of brick and ironwork, it was built to provide decent accommodation for the urban working classes.
New Church Road is now one of the last ‘ghost roads’ of Burgess Park – residual streets today stranded amidst green space. Just tarmac and kerbs remain – without traffic, buildings, or borders. It represents an echo of times when this area was densely built over, and bustling with homes and businesses. Over nearly 200 years, it has seen a whole community come and go, and now even the road is slated for removal in 2017.
The road was originally built around 1826, chiefly to allow horse and carriage to drive from Walworth Road right up to the new St. George’s church, passing alongside the Grand Surrey Canal as it did so. The moneyed Georgian couple could arrive in all their finery, and in some comfort, for Sunday prayers.
Such a trip would pass the St.George’s National School, facing the canal on the north bank. The National Schools were established throughout England and Wales from 1811 onwards. They offered an elementary education to the children of the poor – one specifically in line with the teachings of the Church of England. Before about 1800, apart from the few charity schools, poorer children had little chance of any formal education.
Originally little more than a hall, it was rebuilt in 1840 – enlarged, relocated to the south side of the canal, and in handsome Elizabethan style – “the ground plan of which preserves the usual form of buildings referable to the era of the maiden Queen”. Or in plain English, the new school building was shaped like a letter E, for Elizabeth. It now served 450 boys and girls – with separate entrances, of course.
The school remained open until WWII, but sustained major bomb damage, ultimately relocating to its current location on Coleman Road, just south of the park.
At the other end of New Church Road, stands the elegant redbrick Evelina Mansions block, emblazoned with the badge of the Four Per Cent Industrial Dwellings Company. Founded in 1885 by Jewish philanthropists, the company originally aspired to improve housing and combat overcrowding amongst the poor of London’s East End, particularly among Jewish women. Later it expanded to other parts of London, such as here in Southwark. The block was erected in 1900, containing 83 one or two bed flats. The curious ‘Four Per Cent’ name is variously said to be the interest rate of return that an investor might aspire to on the properties, or the percentage Jewish population in the UK back in 1885.
What of regular housing? New Church Road was lined with 2 and 3 storey terraces. Though slightly grander than some of the smaller artisan dwellings elsewhere, they were no less subject to subdivision, bomb damage, and ultimately planning blight. From the 1950s onwards, as elsewhere across the area, plots of land were bought one by one, and cleared for inclusion into the new park.
Among the many street photos that exist of the area after World War 2, one stands out. It hints intriguingly at what might have been, had Burgess Park not been dreamt up. Dated 1952, it is captioned “unfit house rendered fit for habitation”. How different things might have looked today if the Abercrombie vision of gradual clearance and acquisition had never occurred!
Watch the Slaves video Cheer Up London shot in New Church Rd in 2015 here!


Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company and manufactured an affordable automobile for many middle-class Americans. He is also considered to be the inventor of mass production.
With his innovations to the manufacturing process and his commitment to his workers, he became a true American legend of the 20th century. He was fascinated with science and inventions and had 161 unique patents to his name. His first car was a small one driven by two cylinders, four-cycle motor. It was complete in 1896.
Quick Facts: –
- Henry Ford was born on July 30th 1863 in Springswelll, Michigan.
- As a teenager he liked to tinker. He could fix many things around the home but took a special interest in repairing watches.
- In 1879, he worked as an apprentice at a machinery shop in Detroit.
- Later he started working for the Edison Illuminating Company, which later became the Detroit Edison Company.
- He created the Ford Model T car in 1908 and went on to develop the assembly line mode of production.
- The Ford Model T car was named the most influential car of the 20th century
- He never worked officially as an executive in his own company.
- Henry Ford is the only American mentioned favorably in Adolf Hitler’s semi-autobiographical ‘Mein Kampf.’
- In 1918, when encouraged by President Woodrow Wilson, Henry Ford ran for the U.S. Senate.
- In 1926 he bought the Redstone School House in Sterling, Massachusetts.
- He died on April 7, 1947 in Dearborn, Michigan.
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Do you think your child has an interest in music but don't know where to start?
Would you like your child to learn an instrument but don't know which one?
Would you like to give your child a music education but are confused as to where to go or who to trust?
At Ritmico we know well that every child is different, and we know how important it is for them to have a first possitive experience with music that will encourage them to keep learning a unique language that is music.
All our music programs have been especially designed to lay proper music foundations, while being fun and interesting for children. We have also a clear route that every child should take in learning an instrument from learning basic music skills at the age or 4/5 to learning an instrument at a great standard and being proficient in music notation, aural skills and singing. Learn more about our suggested music learning path here.
Different learning styles
Every child has an artistic gift in them, some are more aural, some more tactile and some more visual, and developing it will provide them with a tool to express their emotions and, its benefits are long proven to have a more healthy mind in the future.
When you and/or your child have decided that playing an instrument is important the questions faced are then where to start... private tutor, music class, school clubs, which instrument, what age??
What we recommend
Age: the earlier the better. Children have an amazign capacity to learn from a very young age and they can do so very early with programmes specially adapted to their age.
Which path: First a child as young as 4 or 5 should develop general music skills and gross motor skills at the same time as being exposed to different instruments from accross the different families. As the children grow an insterest for a specific instrument, or family, they should start with group instrumental lessons, reinforced with Music Language lessons. Depending on their maturity and development, and the instrument they choose, we recommend they start individual lessons around the age of 8 to 10, still being reinforced by music language classes and with the complement of ensembles and choirs. Find out more here
Get in touch for more advice in what is best for your child.


Lena Waltner deserves to be named the mother of Mennonite art education. She was the first full time art professor at a North American Mennonite College. She designed the first curriculum for an art degree at that college and her students became widely known within national and international art circles. Art students were her only children and she devoted her life to them.
Lena Waltner was born near Marion, South Dakota in 1895. She was educated in Freeman Junior College in South Dakota, Bethel College in Kansas, summer art institutes at the University of Iowa and earned an MA in art from Colorado State University. Her thesis on designing an art curriculum was adopted by the State of South Dakota for their kindergarten through grade 12 art education program.
After four years of teaching at Sioux Falls, Freeman Junior, and Yankton colleges in South Dakota, she accepted the challenge to teach art full time at Bethel College. It is remarkable that in 1934, at the height of the Depression, Lena and the college planned a new degree in art. Previous art instructors at Bethel had taught part time and only offered courses as electives.
Her curriculum included courses in painting, drawing, pottery, weaving and art education. Almost immediately the college began to offer a minor in art and considered plans for a major. Due to financial realities of the time, the art major was put on hold for a number of years.
Lena Walter emphasized a comprehensive view of art. She wrote, “The idea that art and artists are confined to art galleries is antiquated; instead, art must function in daily living. Art is expressed in everything that is done … It includes, therefore, vastly more than painting and sculpture.” Outside the classroom she devoted considerable energy to landscape design, developing plans and supervising the building of her own home, creating table service on a potter’s wheel and filling her walls with original art. Posters and reproductions were not her style.
A commitment to art research sent her to Paris, Cairo, Jerusalem, Beirut, Mexico City, the native peoples of South Dakota and the American South West. In the 1950s she was invited to Colombia, South America to lead summer workshops in painting and weaving. That trip offered another opportunity to research South American fabric design.
Throughout her career she had to contend with colleagues, churches and other audiences that did not appreciate art or understand how visual learning might be a valid field of serious study. Her struggles would be familiar with anyone who has worked in an academic arts program: space, materials, curriculum requirements and the general impression that the arts are not essential for life but luxury. According to her colleagues, she was very professional in how she could “hold her own” during contentious faculty discussions.
Lena took considerable satisfaction in the success of her former students. A significant number became professors of art at a variety of colleges and universities as well as designers for major publishing houses. Galleries in many cities, including New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, Basel and Berlin, have exhibited the work of her students.
Waltner was a member of the American Association of University Women, Western Art Association, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, served as the president of the Kansas State Art Teachers' Association and editor of its publication, Art Scoop.
Lena retired in 1960 and remained active on the Bethel Campus. She was instrumental in designing the new art studios and galleries in the Fine Arts Center that was completed in 1965.
Even after all of these achievements, her greatest sense self-worth sprang from the art education program. She wrote, “The most important product of an art program is a properly educated child…to see the unfolding of intellectual, emotional and mental capacities of students.”
Surely the Lord would say of Lena Waltner, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
The Living Mirror: Archaeology of Our Faith


(Professor Plum left this classic comment in another post. It was too goo not to pull up front.)
It's tempting to think that educationists innocently look in the wrong place to explain low achievement and to raise it.
1. “Schools need more money.” [In fact, the U.S. spends more money on schools than anyone else. The problem is that a lot of money is spent on curriculum materials that aren’t very good.]
2.“Disadvantaged children enter school with too little vocabulary.” [True, but there are preschool and kindergarten language and reading programs that can close the gap.]
3. “Students are unmotivated. They don’t want to learn.” [Did you ever see unmotivated kindergartners? It’s more likely that children become unmotivated AFTER they find out they aren’t learning.]
4. “Classes are too large.” [Ineffective instruction is ineffective no matter how small classes are. Besides, countries with high achievement have larger classes.]
The truth is, they are imbeciles.
Ask any educationist----an education perfesser (esp. one of the illiterate "literacy" hacks, or any dummy perfesser of elementary education. Can you imagine a more lame field?), or a district "curriculum specialist," or a member of one of the organizations that "guide" education (such as NCTE or NCTM)----a series of questions that get to the core of education.
You'll be shocked (or maybe not) at how boneheaded, smug, and just plain stupid these persons are.
They can't define knowledge.
"Knowledge is uh uh uh...what you know." [Oh, good.]
They can't give a coherent definition of learning.
"Learning is uh er oh mmm uh what happens when you learn." [Get the ropes.]
They can't list the phases of mastery---acquisition, fluency, generalization, retention.
"Phases of what?
They can't define a concept, rule, or cognitive routine.
"A concept is an idea. A rule is an idea, too, sort of, but uh uh uh er er."
They can't tell you the criteria for logically adequate curriculum design.
"A good curriculum is a seamless web [insane] of holistic experiences experienced in the context of naturalistic and learner-centered activities in a democratic and nurturing community. Howz that?" [Stick your head in the toaster and jump in the bathtub.]
In other words, they don't know anything about their business.
Imagine a physician who could not define cell or tell you how muscles work.
This field does not need more knowledge of how to educate, nor more materials. It needs persons with intelligence. At least common sense, and who don't tolerate any ooompus boompus from wiseass students.
We'd be far better off if we hired late middle aged men and women as teachers, and gave them a crash course in design and effective communication.
And instead of the usual administrators coming out of schools of deaducation, hire retired military.
That's the considered opinion of me and my pal Jose Quervo.


Unique resource designed for emerging readers and readers having difficulty or requiring review at any level. Designed to assist educators and parent to build and improve reading skills through the introduction of the fourth set of 50 Dolch Sight Words and the reinforcement of important Phonics skills. At the same time vowel combinations are introduced and reinforced. There are six units in the workbook. It is easy to use and proven method for improved reading! Each unit introduces 10 sight words that are broken up into 2 lists of 5. In between each list a short vowel is introduced. Sight Words and vowels are then reinforced through short sentences and revision activities that follow. To end the unit the student reads a short story that only contains words they have learned and practiced. Flash cards for Dolch Sight Words taught are included on card stock. Simply cut and use! Supports Common Core Standards for Reading, Foundational Skills, Phonological Awareness and Phonics and Word Recognition.This enhanced eBook gives you the freedom to copy and paste the content of each page into the format that fits your needs. You can post lessons on your class website, make student copies, and more.
Sight Words and Phonics Book 4 (Enhanced eBook)
Number of pages:

The Teacher's Vault was created by teachers, for teachers! We are proud to offer quality lesson plans written by experts and peers, aligned to state and national Common Core standards.


Music’s impact on children’s intelligence
Music’s impact on Children’s Intelligence
If you have been doing your research, I am pretty sure you have found studies that show music education can help develop your kid’s brain development. What kind of capabilities does it enhance though?
Here are some studies that show how musicians perform better in certain areas:
James Catterall conducted a 10-year study with 25,000 students and found that those who played music did better in schools and in reading as well. (Source: James Catterall, UCLA, 1997).
In a SAT exam, high school music students scored better than their peers in math and verbal test. (Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, compiled by Music Educators Conference, 2001)
After undergoing training music lessons for nine months, the IQs of the young participants rose by 3 points more than those who did not go for the training. (E. Glenn Schellenberg, 2004)
Piano students are able to conceptualise mathematical and scientific concepts better than their peers.(Neurological Research, 1997).
Piano students who are trained for 3 years were found to have better pattern recognition and mental representation scores. (Dr. Eugenia Costa-Giomi, 1998).
Music-making students perform significantly better in schools, with them receiving more academic honours and awards, and better grades. (National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988).
There were more music major students who successfully got a placing in medical school compared to other majors such as English, Chemistry, Biology and Math. (Peter H. Wood, “The Case for Music in Schools”, 1994)
According to a research from University of Queensland Australia, informal music activities have more benefits than reading to him. It helps your child to acquire social skills and attention regulation.
Music creators usually have sharper mind as they aged. Consistent music activity helps to challenge the mind, making it fitter and capable. Through the years of practice, this activity helps to create alternate connections in the brain which is effective in preventing cognitive declination.
Northwestern University concluded that kids taking music lesson when they are young will have faster brain responses to speech, even if they do not continue taking lessons in their adulthood.
Have we managed to convince you about the wonders of learning a musical instrument yet?
What is so special about music that other activities such as arts and sports cannot do?
Well, researchers have many theories for that.
One reason is that music exposure helps to integrate skills like language acquisition, hone listening skills, memory and motor skills, thus developing multiple brain neural connections.
Another reason is the different length of notes (e.g. whole note, quarter notes, half notes) helps to exercise the proportional thinking part of the brain.
Similar to math problems, music learning requires spatial-temporal reasoning, which is the ability to visualise putting together disassembled parts. Thus, that could be another reason why musicians fare better in math.
In addition, being able to acquire a musical skill requires discipline that is also fundamental to academic success.
If you are a parent looking to enrich your kids for their development, immerse them in a musical environment today.
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Reading & Phonics
READING & PHONICS
Students take part in an extended reading block every day. Reading instruction includes Reading Workshop, a balanced literacy approach that includes read alouds, shared reading, guided reading and independent reading. During Reading Workshop, students have multiple opportunities to receive targeted instruction one-on-one and in small groups. Additionally, students receive instruction in, a research-based approach to phonics, phonemic awareness, spelling and handwriting. Students engage in independent, leveled reading as part of the reading block and will be expected to continue this reading at home each day.
- Curriculum: Teacher-created guided reading (w/ support from the Teachers College Reading Project: Units of Study & Scholastic).
- Purpose: Explicit literacy instruction. Opportunity to practice with teacher, with peers and independently (comprehension, phonics, word study, etc.). Reflect on literacy development.
- Components: Mini-lesson, centers (guided reading, phonics, word study, listening center, etc.), independent reading, share.
- Time Allocation: 60 minutes per day M-Th, 30 – 45 minutes on Friday (depending on grade level).
- Classroom Set-Up: Whole class mini-lesson at rug, small group centers around room (4 – 6 kids/center), guided reading at table, classroom library (leveled and genre/content-based), designated place for visuals and materials.
- Curriculum: Wilson Fundations
- Purpose: Explicit phonics instruction and opportunity for guided practice and independent application.
- Time Allocation: 20 minutes per day (plus more time during reading centers).
- Classroom Set-Up: Small differentiated groups and space for teachers to work at tables.


My father taught me to play guitar when I was around fourteen years old and I can still remember the initial frustration of getting my fingers to push down on the correct strings and this nearly made me give it up altogether.
I wanted to be able to play straight away and when I saw how easily other guitarists made it look I thought that there was something wrong with me, but I overlooked the fact that every musician, whether they are professional or play for pleasure faced the exact same challenges.
You see, even if you have a professional musician teaching you, it really all boils down to how much your child wants to play, and the main keys to learning to play a musical instrument are passion, patience and practice. You wont wake up one day and say ‘Hey, I can play’, its a work in progress and there will always be something new to learn.
But in saying that, I found that when I struggled with a certain set of chords and thought I was never going to be able to string them together, I would walk away and calm down, and when I tried it again the next day and the day after it became easier and easier, no question.
Its one of those things that creeps up on you and before you know it you are able to play a few songs, and you have the slow gradual realisation that yes, you can do it, learning to play the guitar really is possible. Once you have overcome these initial hurdles it begins to become enjoyable and fun, because you will have overcome the most difficult part of learning to play an instrument, the basics. From this point on your confidence grows and now that you are actually beginning to enjoy it the only way is up.
Music is a subject area that some parents shy away from when it comes to homeschooling their children. They don’t feel confident enough to teach their children how to play instruments. They don’t feel confident enough to sing with their children. They don’t feel confident enough to teach them about musical genres and famous musicians, and thats perfectly natural, we are all human, but we are all capable of great things if we put our minds to it.
I have offered a few ideas below which I hope will help parents build confidence so they can integrate music education into their children’s homeschool repertoires.
1. Build background knowledge and experiences for children. There are many ways parents can expose their children to music. They can sing along with a CD, allow children to experiment with different instruments, and play music for them throughout the day. These exposures will allow children to build connections in their brains and develop an appreciation for this very special art.
2. Take children out to concerts. It’s great for children to listen to music while they’re at home. Even better, however, is for children to watch musicians play music. Children can benefit from watching fingers strum guitar strings, press on piano keys, and cover up the holes on a woodwind or brass instrument.
3. Encourage an apprenticeship. Try to find someone your children can look up to, learn from, and call a mentor. This mentor would be someone who knows about how to repair and care for instruments, as well as their construction and evolution. This will help children develop a greater appreciation for the instruments they play.
4. Play games and engage in online activities. When children are playing educational musical games online, they don’t realize they are also engaging in intense practice of their skills. Children are innately attracted to game-like activities, and love them or loath them, computors are their gateway today. There are many wonderful websites out there that provide children with not just practice time, but also information so they can learn more about music and musical instruments, I learned to play back in the day of steam driven cassette players but today the internet has a multitude of online guitar lessons for beginners.
5. Connect other subject areas to music as much as possible. The best way for children to learn is in an integrated manner. When children are learning about American history, it becomes meaningful for them to also learn about the history of music. When children learn about the science of sound, it is important for children to also examine instruments and the way they make various noises. When children learn about fractions, they can also learn about musical beats. This integrated approach to learning is beneficial to brain development.
These five simple ideas can be implemented as ways to bring music education into a homeschool curriculum. Parents do not need musical backgrounds to expose their children to music. There are many things parents can do to enrich music education at home. When children are exposed to a whole education, it gives them a good head start on the road to becoming a well rounded successful individual in their own right.


As many as 80 art pieces by children from 49 schools and 14 community organizations from across the country were put on display here Tuesday with the theme of highlighting environmental issues
in an innovative way.
The three-day exhibition has been arranged by The Little Art entitled “Art Beat”, to showcase the selected art works created by children of all ages. The exhibition is a child art project in which children from across Pakistan participated. With the theme of environment, the participants practiced their ideas in areas of Health and Hygiene, Water, Air, Earth, Climate Change and Energy.
“Art Beat – National Child Art Exhibitions and Workshops” is a project to use arts as a means to raise awareness about social justice and environmental issues among children and young people across Pakistan.
Over 3000 works were submitted by the students for the exhibition while a jury of senior artists selected the best works to display in art galleries of Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and abroad, said Shoaib Iqbal, Director of the Little Art while talking to APP.
The students with exhibited art were awarded with shields and certificates to give recognition to their artistic endeavors and expressing their ideas through the soft medium.
The Little Art promotes art education and creative learning opportunities among children and young people. It produces innovative projects in various art forms like film, theater, visual arts and puppet to engage children from all sections of society to participate. The organization focuses on developing innovative art education projects to engage children and young people in alternative education and learning opportunities. The show will continue till May 24.
Eating watermelon can reduce risk of heart attack: Eating watermelon can lower blood pressure and protects from pre-hypertension, the main cause of heart attack, researchers say.
The watermelon is not only consumed good being thirsty, due to its sweet taste and high water content, but also being rich in nutrients. The fruit is rich in compounds that proved able to dilate blood vessels and may reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, The Telegraph Reported.
In a study by scientists, an amino acid found in watermelon improves the performance of the arteries and reduces blood pressure in aboutone in nine patients with pre-hypertension. You might have to take the L-arginine, an amino acid essential for maintaining healthy blood pressure, as a supplement. However, these supplements to some adults have adverse effects such asnausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Instead, the researchers found no adverse effects of respondents who ate watermelon. The fruit even store other nutrients such as vitamins A, B6, C, fiber, potassium and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.
“As the evidence from this preliminary study, we hope to continue research to reach a wide group of participants,” said Dr Arturo Figueroa, Florida State University, who led the study. High blood pressure affects more than 16 million men and women in the UK. This disease increases the risk of heart attack or stroke was doubled, and resulted in over 60,000 deaths annually.