French traveler and travel writer who explored West Africa, was born in 1799 in Mauzé-sur-le-Mignon in the Deux-Sèvres region of France. His family was extremely poor. Caillié’s father had been banished to work as a prisoner rowing on government boats before he was born. His mother died very young. According to his later account of his travels in West Africa, Caillié had dreamed of reaching the fabled trade center of Timbuktu on the banks of the Niger River since he was a child. Whether or not this actually was the case, Caillié did manage to reach the Senegalese town of Saint Louis in 1815 He stayed there for several months and tried to join an English expedition up the Gambia River This project did not work out He then spent some time working on the French Caribbean colony of Guadeloupe but soon returned to Senegal He came back to ...
Scottish explorer and geographer of Africa, was born in Edinburgh in 1844. Alexander Keith Johnston was the son of the eminent geographer and cartographer of the same name, who had established the highly respected engraving and mapmaking firm of W. & A. K. Johnston with his brother William. Although the young Keith was educated at prestigious schools in the Scottish capital, he was also tutored carefully by his father, and learned those European languages in which significant geographical material was published. Like his father, Keith’s interest extended well beyond conventional cartography, and he made important contributions to oceanography, hydrology, and global climatic influences. Both were influential figures in the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), itself the most important national institution in the promotion of worldwide discovery and the development of the nineteenth-century British Empire, not least in Africa.
After a period as superintendent of drawing and engraving at the prestigious ...
The son of a wealthy family, Leo Africanus was born in Spain but moved to Fès, Morocco, as a child. There he was educated and later employed by his uncle as a clerk. Africanus’s first trip to the western Sudan, around 1512, was part of a diplomatic and commercial mission to the Songhai Empire led by his uncle on behalf of the rulers of Fès. During this trip Africanus traveled extensively throughout the region and visited its major trading cities, including Tombouctou, Djenné, Gao, and Sijilmasa. He recorded his observations on all of the region’s major states: the Songhai and Mali empires, the Hausa States and Bornu, as well as the Bulala state occupying the former Kanem empire. This trip provided much of the research for his later publications.
Between 1516 and 1518 Africanus made several trips to Egypt and possibly a trip to Constantinople. In 1518 during ...
whose parentage and date of birth are unknown, was a freed slave of Yao origin who produced a remarkable record of the African initiative to return David Livingstone’s body to the coast in 1873. Until recently, Wainwright’s achievement has been overlooked and his character unfairly condemned.
Taken from near Lake Malawi to the coast for transport perhaps to Arabia, Wainwright was rescued by the British Navy’s anti–slave trade patrol in 1866. British policy was to transfer freed slaves to Christian missionaries, and Wainwright came into the care of the Anglican Church Missionary Society at Sharanpur School at Nasik, near Mumbai in India. Converted to Christianity and given a new name and an elementary education, he was soon able to write and speak clear, coherent English.
In 1871 increasing worries about the fate of Scottish explorer and missionary David Livingstone 1813 1873 led the Royal Geographical Society to ...


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Lederberg, A., Schick, B., & Spencer, P. (2012). Language and literacy development of deaf and hard-of-hearing children: Successes and challenges. Developmental Psychology, 40(1), 16-30.
Childhood hearing loss presents challenges to language development, especially spoken language. In this article, we review existing literature on deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children’s patterns and trajectories of language as well as development of theory of mind and literacy. Individual trajectories vary significantly, reflecting access to early identification/intervention, advanced technologies (e.g., cochlear implants), and perceptually accessible language models. DHH children develop sign language in a similar manner as hearing children develop spoken language, provided they are in a language-rich environment. This occurs naturally for DHH children of deaf parents, who constitute 5% of the deaf population. For DHH children of hearing parents, sign language development depends on the age that they are exposed to a perceptually accessible 1st language as well as the richness of input. Most DHH children are born to hearing families who have spoken language as a goal, and such development is now feasible for many children. Some DHH children develop spoken language in bilingual (sign-spoken language) contexts. For the majority of DHH children, spoken language development occurs in either auditory-only contexts or with sign supports. Although developmental trajectories of DHH children with hearing parents have improved with early identification and appropriate interventions, the majority of children are still delayed compared with hearing children. These DHH children show particular weaknesses in the development of grammar. Language deficits and differences have cascading effects in language-related areas of development, such as theory of mind and literacy development.


A Drawing Manual by Thomas Eakins
Edited by Kathleen A. Foster
While a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the celebrated American artist Thomas Eakins (1844–1916) prepared a drawing manual for his students. The manuscript developed out of his famous lectures at the Academy on linear perspective, mechanical drawing, reflections, and sculptural relief and included illustrations by the artist. Following his forced resignation from the Academy in 1886, Eakins abandoned plans to publish the manual, and the parts were dispersed. Today, drafts of the manuscript reside at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and at the Academy, which also holds many of the illustrations.
A Drawing Manual brings together Eakins’s text, based on a concordance of the drafts, and his original drawings for the project. This remarkable publication reveals Eakins’s personality and teaching philosophy, demonstrating why the artist was renowned as a plainspoken, effective teacher. In her fascinating introduction, Kathleen A. Foster sketches the background of the manuscript in the artist’s life and the story of the publication project. Amy B. Werbel provides an illuminating essay on Eakins’s place in the tradition of perspective drawing. This book is essential for any student, scholar, curator, or individual interested in American art and art education.
Kathleen A. Foster is the Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Curator of American Art and Director of the Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She has published extensively on Eakins, including Thomas Eakins Rediscovered (Yale University Press). Amy B. Werbel is Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Saint Michael’s College, Vermont.


Karcsi Lopez January 3, 2020 Preschool Printable Activities
Virtual Manipulative – These are tools which usually provide the kids with hands-on experience since it is more interactive than most of the others. The tool is actually math oriented and it takes into consideration the measurements and geometry that is normally used in the traditional classrooms. There are various libraries that are owned by the government around the country and they usually offer these learning tools for kids (preschool kids) for free so research is most definitely advocated for. Literacy Development Tools – There are other tools which are also free and are mainly meant for developing the literacy level of children. In order for a child to succeed in education and life in general, it is mandatory for parents and educators to ensure that they are literate enough to comprehend the syllabus. This is one of the learning tools for preschool kids that can be implemented very effectively at school or even home.
Besides helping the children to develop their imaginations, parents can utilize stories from the coloring pages to teach their kids practical lessons. While the children are enjoying the process of coloring the images, they can be taught values that are important for them to grasp at a young age. Lessons from the real world can also be taught at the same time. When parents take the time to tell their children stories as they color, the child’s imagination is further strengthened and enhanced.
There are a plethora of imaginative free preschool craft ideas easily available and they include various patterns for puppets and decorations. Free preschool craft ideas also let you discover hidden art supplies in your recycling bin. If you are thinking of tossing away those old shoes and sneakers in the garbage, you can easily use them to form clever and eye catching planters by filling them with potting soil. If you have collection of yogurt cups there are a wide variety of possibilities for free craft ideas. There are bits of yarn, fabric and ribbon that can be used with the help of preschoolers and they can be used to transform the reused plastic cups into dolls. One can also use pre-used plastic spoons for making limbs for the dolls. This can be very interesting for the youngsters as they enjoy while they are learning. It also gives them an insight into using waste products for making arts and crafts. One can also use torn jeans, or worn out sweaters, plastic bubble wrap, grocery bags and empty soda bottles and finding life with these creative projects. There are many free preschool craft ideas that will help the kids in learning to make fun fact with rubbish through history where the garbage goes and the children learn to make useful things from junk. There are a plethora of free preschool crafts and various other crafts projects.
Many parents already know that coloring pages help develop their children’s artistic abilities. They may not be familiar with the ways that using coloring pages can help their little ones to improve their skills towards writing. As children practice coloring, their abilities to stay within the lines improve over time. This focused ability to control the pencils or crayons precisely is an important part of being able to hold a writing instrument still and steady for when it is time to draw the letters of the alphabet. Artistic abilities are cultivated and strengthened in children who do well at coloring pages. Besides this, they will find it easier to start writing their alphabet letters when the time for this comes.
There are dozens of creative crafts accompanied by a message in order to help you make craft time a valuable learning experience for the children. Designed for active learning and lots of fun, these festive crafts will help kids discover the unique gifts and talents each and every child has. The best part is that the free preschool craft ideas are economical and include most supplies which are probably already available with you. These are also fun activities that one cans apply for enhancing creativity in children at home and are also strategic for family building activities.
Quality vs Quantity. Some free worksheets are not good quality – the pictures are fuzzy, backgrounds print grey or speckled – and children tend to notice these things. If you are using the worksheets to educate your child, you may want to choose good quality worksheets that encourage your child to produce good quality work. After all, it’s a little difficult to ask your child to color within the lines and work neatly when the worksheet they are filling in hasn’t done the same.


Throughout the Caribbean, there is concern about the standard of writing among students. This concern is verbalized in numerous reports from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) on students’ performance in English in their certification examinations. Hard Words offers solutions to this problem by exploring the effects of English-based Creole on students’ writing and by promoting reading as powerful tool that can assist students and teachers in the classroom.
Existing studies of adolescents’ leisure reading rarely afford the opportunity to observe them engaging with reading material over an extended period. In Hard Words the author uses observations and in-depth interviews to gauge students’ reaction to different reading material, reading-related activities and streaming. This study is unique in its provision of a programme to promote a culture of leisure reading as well as a mechanism for assessing the relationship between reading for pleasure and writing. It also offers insights into students’ thoughts about reading, their preference of reading materials and activities that can be used to encourage them to read more.
Through the use of figures, tables, samples of students’ writing and useful references, the book provides a valuable source of teaching strategies for Caribbean Students in classrooms both within and outside the Caribbean.
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Language Issues in the Caribbean
- The Role of Reading in Language and Literacy Development
- Exploring the Adolescents’ Reading InterestsIt
- Reading in the High Stream
- Narratives of the High Stream Students
- Reading in the Low Stream
- Reading: The Way Forward
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Appendix C


Students at Westside Elementary have been busy in music class. We will share some of the more recent highlights.
Fourth grade students have been learning the recorder. This instrument takes a lot of practice and concentration to play. The students have to control their air and finger placement all while reading music notes. The group has done amazingly well creating good tone.
Students in 2nd and 3rd grade have been experimenting with Boomwhackers. These are plastic tubes that vary in length and color. Each tube creates a different musical pitch. When students tap the tube on their lap, hand, or floor in a pattern, a song emerges! The class has been having fun playing holiday songs such as Jingle Bells, Deck the Hall, and We Wish You A Merry Christmas.
Students in Kindergarten and 1st grade have been movers and shakers! We play games that help our listening skills, as well as gross motor movement. These youngest students are enthusiastic singers and are learning how to play and respect the instruments.
Thank you for supporting music education in our schools!


Home learning is everything that a child learns at home. Learning starts when we are in the womb.
In the first two years of their lives babies make billions of connections in their brains. These connections are strong when babies are talked to, listened to and played with.
When mums, dads and carers pick up a crying baby, and sing or talk softly to them, or play peekaboo over and over again, they are literally building their baby's brain.
We all want the best for our children: feeling secure and loved supports the development of the brain. It helps to build children's self-esteem and confidence.
Parents really are our first teachers. Babies learn how to respond to feelings and experiences by watching their mums, dads, carers and other close family members.
Research shows that parents who:
have a positive influence on their child's education, right up to 16-years-old.
All parents can improve their child's learning and life chances. There is no need for special training. Daily life and routines offer daily learning opportunities.
There is no need for expensive toys. It really is true that a box is often more fun, and the most exciting play for a baby or toddler is with you, their parent.
Children whose mums and dads play, talk, sing and read with them do better at school.
Mums, dads and carers help their children to learn these qualities by being good role models.
When children are afraid of a new experience, show them how to 'have a go'.
Simple choices such as would you like the red cup or the blue cup give babies and toddlers feelings of growing importance and confidence.
Toddlers whose mums, dads and carers help them to try again often become more resilient children.
In nursery education and at school, we call these qualities 'characteristics of effective learning'.
In July 2019, the Department for Education launched the Hungry Little Minds campaign. It encourages parents and carers to adopt positive activities and behaviours to boost children’s communication, language and literacy development. The three-year campaign, aims to help parents understand that they have a massive impact on their child’s learning.
Reading, playing and chatting with your child is a simple thing you can do to help them to develop - even when they are too young to say much back.


We cater for students from age 4 – 18 years.
- From 4 – 12 years
Students follow the Primary School Curriculum, adapted to the needs of the students.
- From 12 – 16 years
Students undertake the JCSP following L1LPs and L2LPs across various subject areas.
- From 16 – 18 years
We are guided by the Curricula above while facilitating students in following ASDAN modules and life skills oriented modules.
Looking At Our Schools (LAOS): A Quality Framework for Primary Schools
The below text aims to localise and contextualise Looking At Our Schools for the St. Gabriel’s School setting. St. Gabriel’s School pays close attention to the contents of this report as the source of guiding principles with regard to continuous self-reflection and improvement of the teaching, learning and overall experience within our school.
The publication is “designed to support the efforts of teachers and school leaders,…….., to strive for excellence in our school”.
As the report suggests, we can be “justifiably proud of our school and of the ongoing work by teachers, SNAs and visiting contributors to make learning experiences for all pupils relevant, challenging and imaginative.”
There is a commitment by the Government in this framework “to have excellent teaching and learning FOR ALL learners”. This means that our students must be supported to their full potential to access the curriculum in a meaningful way. As teachers, we must constantly strive to “maintain and improve the quality of learning in our school”. In St. Gabriel’s, we agree with the LAOS statement that “where schools reflect on the quality of their work and plan for how it can be improved, pupils learn better.” We are aiming for “good self-evaluation” in our school; it can encourage us to find new creative and effective solutions to improve the learning of our pupils”. It can also contribute to “keeping parents informed and reassured about the standards of learning in our school.”
“The idea of the quality framework is to provide standards that can help to assess how good practice is and, very importantly, to point the way towards improvement where needed. The framework is built around the areas of teaching and learning, and leadership and management.”
This guide, “published by the DES Inspectorate, is designed for teachers and for school leaders to use in implementing the most effective and engaging teaching and learning approaches and in enhancing the quality of leadership in our school. P. 6. “The quality framework seeks to assist us to embed self-evaluation , reflective practice and responsiveness to the needs of learners in their classrooms and other learning settings.”


Written at reading level 6-8, our Pre-HSE Core Skills series will give your students the basic content and foundational skills needed to advance to high school equivalency level work.
Provides basics skills review and practice to accelerate student progress to the higher level thinking skills required for the all three high school equivalency tests; GED, HiSET, and TASC.
Learn important academic vocabulary in the context of short readings about social studies and science topics found on HSE tests. Each unit contains two short readings followed by vocabulary development exercise. BONUS - Download the free Building a Strong Vocabulary app for vocabulary practice on the go!
A great supplement to use before test day that focuses on the critical thinking, writing, problem solving, and test-taking skills that students need to pass the TASC test.
Explanations and practice in understanding a wide variety of graphic elements that students will encounter on high school equivalency tests as well as in their daily lives. Three Books in the Series: - Tables and Graphs - Scales, Charts, and Diagrams - Maps, Photographs, and Editorial Cartoons Sold in packs of ten or a variety pack with five of each title.
The perfect solution for both teachers and students! Each affordable student pack is designed to prepare students on all content areas of the TASC test as well as focus on the skills and strategies needed to pass.


A push to ensure students have core literacy and numeracy skills by the age of eight will significantly reduce time for play, and is the opposite of what is being done in leading school systems such as Finland, according to Sydney principal Andrew Hill.
Mr Hill, head of Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School, said tests such as NAPLAN, which students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will sit on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, could be affecting teachers' ability to build skills such as creativity and collaboration in the early years.
The Gonski 2.0 report, handed down last month, recommended that schools "prioritise the implementation of learning progressions for literacy and numeracy ... to ensure the core foundations for learning are developed by all children by the age of eight".
However, Mr Hill said that formal reading and writing instruction should be delayed to better match the "natural rhythm of children" and lay down proper foundations for learning.
"Children learn faster from the age of seven, research shows they naturally develop phonetic awareness at that age," Mr Hill said.
"Finland, which is lauded as a leader in education, is very different to the English-speaking world and has no formal instruction prior to the age of seven.
"While students in Singapore are very teacher-trained, Finnish students are more self-directed and I believe that's because of those early years. The whole point of early childhood play is that it's self-directed."
Mr Hill said his school, which is one of more than 1000 Steiner schools around the world and takes a holistic approach to education, is the closest thing to the Finnish model available in Australia.
"Everyone's asking how we can build creativity and talking about it like it can be taught as a separate subject but we see it as a natural part of growing up," Mr Hill said.
"With a play-based early childhood, when they move to formal learning that becomes an attitude to life."
Professor of education at the University of Sydney Michael Anderson said that students who are left behind by the age of eight tend to struggle throughout school, but that promoting creativity, communication, collaboration and critical reflection is often more important in the early years than formally teaching reading and writing.
"It's concerning internationally that play is being taken out of the early childhood setting," Professor Anderson said.
"You've got to work with age-appropriate teaching. Teaching four-year-olds to read and write is not as appropriate as teaching them important skills such as communication and collaboration that you need throughout school."
Professor Anderson said teaching skills such as creativity and promoting literacy and numeracy "are not an either-or and Gonski doesn't set it out as such", but that standardised tests such as NAPLAN could be pushing teachers towards less innovative and engaging practices.
"Changing or removing NAPLAN so teachers don't feel pressure to teach to the test and use methods that are outdated could be one solution," Professor Anderson said.
"Schools and curriculums need to allow students to build an understanding at their own pace. I wouldn't be putting a hard and fast rule in."
Mr Hill said students at his school begin being taught literacy and numeracy in year 1 and it usually takes about two years to establish those skills.
He said that parents usually withdraw students from the NAPLAN tests in the early years but the school generally performs well in later years.
Students in year 7 and 9 at Glenaeon scored at or above the Australian average in all five NAPLAN domains last year, according to My School.
A number of education ministers around the country, including NSW's Rob Stokes, have called for a review or the scrapping of NAPLAN.
However, its supporters, including federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham, say it provides important information on education progress at the national level and is a useful tool for schools and teachers.


Nigerian art schools started with Aina Onabolu (1881-1963). Onabolu is regard to as the father of art, he was a self-trained artist who later considered art in England in the mid 1920s. On his arrival, he didn’t just keep painting, he began teaching art in a few secondary schools over the Western Region. He was instrumental in the completely rounded art training got by the next generation of artist—Ben Enwonwu, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Uche Okeke, Ben Osawe etc., who practiced colossal impact in what became contemporary Nigerian art.
The term ‘Art school’ here refers to a gathering of artists who share a typical way of thinking, perfect, and style. While the proper Nigerian art schools are named after art department of institutions in the nation, the pioneers are generally members from the Zaria Art Society—set up by students of Nigeria’s first art school, Nigerian College of Arts and Science Technology, Zaria (presently the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria). Here are the leading art schools, their key artists and famous works.
The Zaria School
The dismissal of all types of European artistic knowledge by certain students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria changed the course of our visual history. The Zaria School artists concentrated on Nigerian cultural themes and experiences.. Their works depend on the fantasies and legends of the people. Their Landscapes, for the most part, mirror the grassland and savannah vegetation of the North.
The Yaba School
Yusuf Grillo, a member from the Zaria Art Society, formed the Yaba School. The Yaba style depends on an excellent comprehension of colour, which Grillo is acclaimed for, and it is unmistakable for its practically precise reasonable portrayals—photorealism.
The Nsukka School
The Igbo Uli painting tradition forms the premise of this school pioneered by Uche Okeke, a member from the Zaria Art Society who turned into an art lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The style is centered around calligraphic Uli art and utilization of Uli straight structures to show radical socio-political and social topics.
The Ife School
The Ife School created from the Ori-Olokun Workshop, an informal workshop built up to develop the artistic gifts of Ife indigenes. The Ife School artists were trained to utilize materials from their prompt environment, which can be found in their terracotta, granite and bronze works. This style displays examples and designs peculiar to the rich artistic culture of Western Nigeria
The Auchi School
Colour is the most important element of art to the Auchi School. The style, pioneered by Ademola Adejumola, emphasizes strong colour and vivid strokes while subject matter is rather simplified and abstract.
The Barber School
This is an informal school of artists who trained under Abayomi Barber. Its inspiration is based on the classical Ife bronzes. Working in a style similar to Barber’s, this group is distinct for its surrealistic-naturalistic art that is part invention, part realism.
The Oshogbo School
This is an informal school that developed from The Oshogbo Experiment—a series of workshops held in Oshogbo and Ibadan in the early 1960s. The workshops were opportunities for indigenes without formal artistic training to produce art that is not regulated by formal art education. The style is steeped in African tradition and its focus is on traditional Yoruba culture, festivals and other cultural activities.


The vast majority is very quick to criticize ICT4D projects and highlight statistics such as the World Bank statistic that states that about 70% of ICT projects fail, without even understanding the context of these numbers. In this case, how does the World Bank define failure? What constitutes a project as a failure? Some projects may be black and white with a clear boundary between success and failure; however, most projects lack this definitive boundary. For example, the Zambian Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) program, known as Learning at the Taonga Market (LTM) was launched in 2000 to create low cost, high quality education for educationally and geographically marginalized areas in Zambia. The LTM integrates IRI, which acts as an active teaching tool, and the Lifeline radio, which is a dual-powered device that uses both wind-up and solar technology minimizing the dependency on other energy sources to teach lessons written and recorded by the Educational Broadcasting Services in conjunction with the Education Development Center. This program was designed to use existing technology, such as the radio, to provide high-quality education for over 800,000 children who cannot attend school. Since its implementation, over 160,000 children have received education through the LTM and these children have tested better than the children attending mainstream schools.
While this program appears to be working, some people argue it is another failed ICT project. Even though the demand for the LTM program and the enrolment of G1 participants have steadily increased, the retention rate is uncomfortably low as only 2,916 of the total 7,782 learners completed G5. Additionally, when testing the participants’ literacy and numeracy skills, it was apparent that the children had gained knowledge. However, the mean numeracy score dropped from 71.5% in 2001 to 63% in 2003 and the literacy skills dropped from 56.6% in 2001 to 48.8% in 2003. Even though observers noticed an improvement in literacy and numeracy skills, the tests proved otherwise. Does this mean that the project failed?
The lowered retention rate could be due to a lack of monitoring and evaluation; some people could be counted as “drop outs” even if they just switched IRI centers. Additionally, the discrepancies in the numeracy and literacy tests could be due to the different sample sizes tested in 2001 and 2003. Therefore, is it accurate to consider this project a failure on the basis of somewhat skewed data? And even if the data were accurate, should this project be classified as a failure based on two statistics, even when vast improvements and increases in demand have been noted? All these questions cannot be answered unless we define failure.


The Center for Arts & Education is launching an exciting, unique program called “Art Across America”. We are focused on establishing tiny mobile art classrooms that will provide different aspects of art education, giving youth the ability to express, explore and increase their knowledge and skill base, no matter what their socioeconomic status or location is.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso
Expression through the arts is a critical element in childhood development.
Our objective is to build upon existing programs in such a collaborative way, that we’re able to offer curriculum for continuous creative development.
We have established a national network of rtists who work with us to provide the highest quality instruction. Our classes cover a wide variety of art forms including: Theatre, Music, Dance, Visual, Literature, Photograph, Crafting, Sustainable arts, and much more. Activities are designed to maximize the potential and provide encouragement to support the dreams of aspiring young artists.
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” – Frederick Douglass
According to National statistics, artistic individuals tend to show improved test scores which has a positive impact for schools. Youth who participate in art programs have a higher rate of graduation. These programs not only improve their abilities, but also have the underlying aspect of building character and self esteem – making for stronger life choices for years to come.
Whether it be dance, painting, robotics, music, or drama there really is no more powerful way to change the lives of children positively than the arts. Join us in our journey to bring the arts across our nation and revitalize the youth of our communities from shore to shore – contact us today!


Reading/Language ArtsThis year in our classroom students will be working out of our new Language Arts Curriculum called Journeys.The Big Idea for Unit 1 of our 3rd grade program is: People Make a Strong Community. Each week the students will have an essential question to focus their learning on. Here are the following questions for unit 1:1. What are the parts of a story?2. What helps you make decisions about a character?3. What clues in a story tell you about the characters?4. How can two bridges be alike and different?5. Why causes someone to be a hero?Here is the online reading website that goes with our program that your child can click on to practice their reading skills at home. Have Fun!Click here to find Lesson 1 Spelling List:Click here to see what Third graders are expected to do in Reading. Reading Literature: http://corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/3/ Reading Informational: http://corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/3/ Reading Foundational Skills: http://corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RF/3/ Speaking and Listening: http://corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/3/ Language: http://corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/3/REMINDER: Students are to read at home for 20 minutes for 20 days each month as part of their At-Home Reading program.
Last Modified on August 22, 2017


Montfort School offers education from Pre-Primary to Senior Secondary levels.
- Pre-Primary (LKG & UKG) English – Reading, writing and conversation,Hindi – Reading, writing and conversationNumber work, Health talk, lingual talk, Story telling, recitation, Rhymes, Physical Education, Art, Singing and Dancing
- Primary and Middle School (Std I to Std. VIII) First Language – English – Reading, Writing, Dictation, Grammar and Composition.Second Language – Hindi – Reading, Writing, Dictation, Grammar and CompositionThird Language – Assamese – Reading, Writing, Dictation, Grammar and Composition,Mathematics- Arithmetic, Basic Elements of Geometry and Practical Skills.
General Science – Introduction to various branches of science and practical work
Social Science – History, Geography and Civics
Computer Science – Fundamental Logo, Basics, Windows and MS Office and Programming Languages.
General Knowledge, Moral Science and Religious instruction, Physical Education (Theory and Practice), Art Education, SUPW (Socially Useful Productive Work), Music and Dances, Library, Current Affairs are the other important curricular activities offered.
- High School (Std. IX to Std. X) First Language – English – Prose, Poetry, Grammar and CompositionSecond Language – Hindi/Assamese-Prose, Poetry, Grammar and CompositionMathematics – Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics and ConstructionSocial Science – History, Statistics, Geography and Civics
General Science -Theory and Practice
Information Technology- Windows and MS Office and Programming Languages.
Human Rights, Moral Science / Religious instruction, General Knowledge, Art, Drawing and Craft, Music and Dance, Library, Rhetoric, Current Affairs are the other important curricular activities offered.
- Senior Secondary Arts: English, Political Science, Geography/Computer Science, Sociology, Economics/ Entrepreneurship & Physical EducationScience: English, Mathematics, Biology/Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry & Physical Education.Commerce: English, Business Studies, Computer science, Entrepreneurship/Economics, Accountancy &Physical Education


By Teachers, For Teachers
Differentiated instruction is a popular buzz phrase in the world of educators. It isn’t a new strategy by any means, but its success in aiding students of differing abilities within the classroom has pushed it to the forefront of what we consider essential within our teaching toolkit.
There are many ways to differentiate learning: Flexible grouping, tiered assignments, and choice boards, to name a few. Choice boards have become extremely popular with students because they are given the option to choose how they will learn a concept.
Teachers love this technique because choice boards keep students more engaged. These boards—in large part because they are given free choice—also seem to let students challenge themselves more. Furthermore, choice boards give teachers the opportunity to tap into their students’ interests, find out how they like to learn, and how best to reach them in future lessons.
Here we will take a look at what choice boards are, and a few ways that you can use them to as part of your toolkit of classroom management tactics to differentiate instruction.
Choice boards (some instructors call them learning menus) are activities or assignments that give students the option of choosing what they will do to meet the your requirements. As a general rule, these boards outline a variety of instructional options that are targeted towards a specific academic goal. You as the teacher direct the choice board, but your students are given control over their choices and may select the option(s) that appeal most to them.
Students with higher abilities will most likely implement these choice boards as more of an extension tool to hone and refine their knowledge while struggling kids can use these activities as a way to review or practice concepts.
Choice boards (or learning menus) can be set up in a variety of different ways: By ability, intelligences, learning style, student interest, readiness, learning preference, or even questioning. As a tip, it’s best to focus on just one of these types when creating your board.
As far as appearance is concerned, a choice board is essentially a graphic organizer that mimics a game of tic-tac-toe—a nine-square grid with activity choices in each row. Pro Tip: if you’d like to give your students more choices, feel free to add more squares, but nine is a good place to start. Have your students complete one activity from each row, depending on their interest. Much like the game, the goal here is to select adjacent or diagonal tasks to complete. Each exercise should vary in content, product, and process, and can be tailored to address different levels of academic performance.
Choice board menu options are endless—you can create a menu for any subject, topic, or concept that you want or different boards altogether based on student readiness. Here are a few examples of the different options from which you can choose:
The tic-tac-toe board can also be used for shorter, open-ended questions. For example, you can use Bloom’s Taxonomy to create different level questions for each square. It can also be used to review one main concept for each subject students are studying. For example, one square would be dedicated to reading where students must write about a main character, and another square would be dedicated to math, where students would have to name ten prime numbers, and so on.
Empowering your kids through choice ensures that they are meeting learning goals, as well as digesting material in ways that best suit their learning styles.
How do you differentiate instruction in your classroom? Do you use choice boards or learning menus? Share with us in comment section below, we would love to hear your thoughts.
Janelle Cox is an education writer who uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle holds a Master's of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is also the Elementary Education Expert for About.com, as well as a contributing writer to TeachHUB.com and TeachHUB Magazine. You can follow her at Twitter @Empoweringk6ed, or on Facebook at Empowering K6 Educators.


Saturday, July 26th – 2:45 – 3:45 PM Session # 1
It is crucial that music educators ensure a joyful music-making environment for their students. With increased focus on the CCSS and shifts in ELA and Math, maintaining the music making has become a challenge for many music educators. This session will guide participants through Unit 1 of Conversational Solfege. This session will include a variety of activities, curriculum ideas, and assessment tools that align very naturally to the Common Core, without sacrificing joyful music making. Discover that aligning lessons with CCSS can happen naturally, without having to go outside of what we already do in our music classroom. Students should be made active and engaged participants in a variety of activities that are high quality, stimulating and JOYFUL. Music activities naturally align with Common Core philosophy to help students:
- Demonstrate independence
- Build strong content knowledge
- Respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose and discipline
- Observe, comprehend and critique
- Value evidence
- Understand other cultures and perspectives
Craig B. Knapp is in his 16th year teaching Classroom Music and Chorus, grades 3 through 5, at the Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate Schoolin the Rocky Point School District, where he teaches his elementary music students through Conversational Solfege. Craig has studied closely with Dr. John Feierabend every summer since 2010, earning OAKE and FAME certification. With his innovative and energetic approach to music education, Craig Knapp directs the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York’s Children’s Treble Choirs (www.myo.org), where he has conducted at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Craig has presented elementary classroom music and choral workshops at various music education conferences.
Mr. Knapp is a Past-President of Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association and is actively involved with New York State School Music Association. He is the Administrative Program Coordinator for the Orff-Schulwerk Summer Studies at Hofstra University and is the Membership Chairperson for LIAOSA (Long Island Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association). Craig is a Lifetime Member of the Feierabend Association for Music Education and serves on their Board of Directors as Member at Large.


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Preschoolers have the potential to understand things and express themselves well. You can help your child develop her initial literacy by cajoling her into reading books and writing. Learn how!
Most parents think that literacy development in kids happen only once they join school. Well, to be honest, they couldn’t be more wrong. Literacy in a child develops way before she joins the school. In fact, even before a child learns to read or write, she learns sounds, words, language, pictures, etc., and all this learning happens at home. Hence, it can be said that parents play a major role in developing literacy in kids.
Let’s see how parents can help develop literacy in your preschooler.
Make a habit of reading books to your child every day. It helps in building your preschooler’s vocabulary. It also helps to develop your child’s interest in books and reading. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while reading books to your preschooler:
- Buy books with clear images (they fascinate your child) and small story lines.
- The font size should be bigger, bolder and clearer for your child to understand and learn words.
- Point out easy and small words from the book to your child. Seeing the word frequently will make her recognize it easily.
- Create phonological awareness which will help her in understanding the sounds of the alphabets that make up words.
- Read books with a variety of characters. They love complexity.
Teach the Correct Language
A preschooler who is experimenting with new words and language may make mistakes in pronunciation or grammar. Do not correct her or else she will hesitate and be conscious while speaking. Instead, repeat her sentence in the correct way. This will teach her the correct language without making her feel embarrassed. Similarly, kids learn a lot from conversations and listening. Make sure you speak the correct language before her.
Encourage Drawing and Scribbling
The silly doodles that your preschooler makes might be more valuable than you think. So don’t stop her. It not only teaches her to hold the pencil/pen correctly but also encourages her to write. Show her how to write. Then ask her to watch you and copy. Label things in bold letters around the house to teach her words. You may label her books, objects, bedroom door etc. Provide your child with crayons, pencils, markers or anything which might interest her to write. You might have to hold her hand initially. Also, she may be scribbling more than actually forming letters initially. But that’s nothing to worry; it actually encourages her to write.
Make Up Stories
Narrating stories is an interesting way to develop literacy in your preschooler. Make up stories for your child. Just make sure that you repeat the same story using different vocabulary for the same word/context. This way your child will learn more vocabulary. Ask her questions about the story. For example, while narrating a jungle story, ask her what sort of animals she would like to have in her courtyard or which animal she doesn’t like and why. Encourage your child to make up stories. You will be surprised by her vivid imagination. Alternatively, you may also indulge in some role plays (milk man, shop keeper, her favourite animated character) with your preschooler. It helps build vocabulary and speech.
Encourage and Enjoy Rhymes
Rhymes help your child understand the difference between various sounds that words make. They also build vocabulary. Make up rhymes on daily activities (bathing, brushing teeth, eating etc.), things around her, etc. You can encourage her to rhyme words for you, for example, give her a word ‘bat’ and ask her to rhyme it.
Teach through Everyday Experiences
Make everyday experiences a learning platform for your preschooler. As you go to the supermarket, shopping mall, park or hair salon, start conversations with your child around the subject. Also, ask your child to observe things around her and narrate them to you. You may also ask her questions about her daily activities like what she did at the school or in the activity centre.
Activities and games like dumb charades, magnetic letters, Bingo, picture cards are a good way of teaching your child vocabulary.
Remember, you are not required to invest a lot of money, the only investment that is required for developing literacy in your preschooler is time and involvement.


The art education landscape, and indeed, the education landscape more broadly, finds itself navigating complex challenges inside and outside of our classrooms. Teachers grapple with navigating these challenges whilst seeking to maximise and leverage the benefits that digital technologies, space and mediums create for learning. How bodies, and perceptions and articulations of bodies, become implicated in this fast evolving space, is posing increasingly complex challenges for teachers and schools to negotiate. Drawn Together emerges from a space of pedagogical learning and practice that recognises and pays respect to the complex nature of bodies and our relationship with bodies, as situated within the historic artistic discipline of life drawing, which continues to hold as much relevance for learning in the visual arts today and it has done so for centuries. The Tasmanian Art Teachers Association recognises how these challenges can fuel anxiety for education administration, which in turn triggers reactive responses that can lead to constraint or avoidance. The paradox inherent to these challenges is the increasingly unprecedented opportunities for powerful and significant learning in and through visual art that emerge.


Homework. It is a big eight-letter word that often sends chills down a child’s spine. Parents have literally pulled their hair out trying to help their child complete this rigorous nightly routine. I have seen homework bring out the very best and the very worst in both parents and students. As a parent of three boys, there are times when I struggle with the daily homework ritual. However, there are a few things I have learned over the years that can help make homework go from an obstacle to an advantage.
1. Know the Purpose: Homework should serve as a review or reinforcement of skills taught in class during the day. It also teaches students how to be responsible citizens who are accountable for their own learning and promotes good study habits. Homework should not be a negative experience. However, when a student struggles, frustration and emotions from parents and children can foster a negative work environment. Always strive to keep homework a positive experience. Children will mimic your words and actions, and this may carry over into their work at school. Stay calm, encouraging, and refrain from negativity in front of your child.
2. Help, Don’t Hover: This may be one of the hardest things to do as a parent. Allowing your child to work independently helps build self-sufficiency and problem solving skills. Be nearby to lend a hand when your child has a question or needs assistance. Both parents and children need to remember that mistakes are ok! This gives the teacher feedback on what your child knows and what might need re-teaching.
3. Communicate: If your child is struggling with homework, or it seems to take forever, discuss your concerns with the teacher. Research suggests homework should only take about 10-20 minutes per night for first graders, and an additional 10 minutes per grade level thereafter (For example, 20 minutes for second grade, 110 minutes for 11th grade). High school students may have more work, depending on their class load and assignments. Open lines of communication between parents and teacher gives the teacher a greater understanding of what he or she may need to reteach the following day.
4. Set a Schedule: Your child is incredibly busy throughout the school day. When the last bell rings, they are often physically and mentally exhausted! Parents know their child best, so set up a schedule that works for you and your child. Often, children need some down time after school. Let them have a snack and chill out for a short period of time. Then provide them with a quiet workspace free from distractions, but full of any homework supplies they may need. If you child is active in after school sports or organizations, planning is key. Set aside homework time when schedules are crazy. Education should be a priority, not an afterthought.
5. Provide Incentives: Let’s face it: As adults, we like to get compensated for our work. That’s why we get a paycheck! Children should also be rewarded for their efforts. This may be in the form of technology time, playing a special game, earning tokens toward a special toy, or for older students, it may be part of their weekly allowance. Incentives provide motivation and praise while fostering a purpose for learning.
Homework is a joint responsibility for students, parents, and teachers. Providing support for children helps foster responsibility while promoting academic success.
Danielle Kovach received her B.S. in Special and Elementary Education from Kutztown University and holds two Master’s Degrees in both Special Education and Educational Technology. She is currently working toward a doctorate degree in special education. Among many honors and awards, Kovach is the 2011 NJ State Teacher of the Year. In 2012, she was awarded The National Education Association Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. She has earned over $70,000.00 in grants and awards for exemplary teaching.


This course will introduce you to some of the most powerful programming concepts in Java, including: objects, inheritance and collections. You will learn how to use these object-oriented programming concepts in code examples, discover how these concepts are used in applications that require user input, and understand the benefits of mastering these concepts in Java.
By the end of the course, you will create your own game, understand how and when to apply foundational Java concepts, and will gain a deeper understanding of the tools and logic that professional Java developers use everyday. You will also have the Java programming foundations you need to take our Android Developer Nanodegree program.Why Take This Course?
Java is the one of the most popular programming languages in the world today. It works on any platform, and is the core language used in developing Android apps. It’s a great first language for any aspiring programmer, so whether you want to program Android apps, web apps, or simply learn the foundational skills that all programmers use, this course is a great place to start!
James Williams and Asser Samak


|ART + TECH + EDUCATION||
Marqueed is a collaborative space to talk about, gather, and edit images together. This can be done privately and publically. Critique art, edit artwork, and discuss the possibilities with a group. A very useful free site!
Just start talking and TalkTyper turns your words into text. Use it for email, dictation, and even as a brainstorming tool. Completely free and online!
M.C. Escher is an Artist that defines the possibilities that exist between Art & Math and is an extraordinary Artist to document and study his process with students. Open Culture has a wonderful piece today about M.C Escher that is a must read!
Take a photo every day for a year and document it with an online album at the 365Project site. Discuss your images with others and improve your photography skills as well. Free, easy and fun!
Summer is a great time to work on Art Journals and sketchbooking. Recently I came across a few excellent resources to share.
Art Journaling as a creative process; A Blog, by Kelly Luckett. Many excellent ideas and images here!
Balzer Designs; A Blog, by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. Balzer Designs is full of how to’s, assorted resources and many art examples.
Art Journaling idea’s, a pintrest link of Melissa Fortenberry is loaded with ideas, examples and links as well. You will defiantly pin her link. Enjoy!
Create a Mixed Media Travel Journal
Send & receive any type files that are safe and secure using Senditonthenet. Use Senditonthenet for free with up to 80MB files. Senditonthenet also allows you to create an embeddable dropbox to receive files on your blog or website. This tool appeals to me as an educator. YAY! My students can just drop their digital files, image, or writing into my Senditonthenet dropbox.
Not sure how to create a Wiki, a Blog, or use a particular online technology tool? If so check out Teachertrainingvideos . All the videos are free. This is an awesome resource created by Russell Stannard ! Wow
Fotonea is an online collage creation site that is quite easy to use. Upload and create!
High School Visual Art Educator from Rhode Island, Past President of the RI Art Education Association, Technology trainer for "RITTI"; RI Teachers of Technology. Painter,and jewelry maker.
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Sensory processing refers to the way the nervous system receives information from the senses and turns it into a response . All activities of daily living; eating, writing, dressing ,riding a bicycle, or reading a book, require accurate processing of sensory information in order to successfully complete the task. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), exists when sensory signals are not adequately organized or interpreted to create an appropriate response. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act on information received through the senses, this creates challenges in performing many daily tasks. Sensory processing difficulties may interfere with an individual’s ability to participate in a variety of environments successfully. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and many other problems may impact those who do not have effective treatment.
Therapists have specialized training and promote functional outcomes and participation in a range of tasks across settings by understanding what foundational skills need support and development in order to gain skills and master participation. The therapist plans and customizes each treatment session for the specific needs and goals of the child. A therapist has specialized skills to help develop and progress age appropriate skills. The therapist uses play as a way to practice skills and work on the goals of the child’s treatment plan.
The duration of therapy is determined by many factors and ranges depending on the needs of the child, the parents goals and child’s response to therapy. Progress with therapy is a steady process tailored to the individual needs of a child and their family.


The RKS curriculum aims to prepare the young learner to enter Lower School by providing a strong foundation in five areas of development, namely in the Cognitive, Socio-Emotional, Psychomotor, Communication and Self-Help areas of development.
In line with the school’s ESLRs, the RKS curriculum focuses on the Cognitive areas of Literacy and Numeracy. The following section presents the program for these two domains.
The RKS Literacy Program, based on the Ohio Academic Standards and Skills, is a beginning reading course that covers the five components of reading instruction. These components are PHONEMIC AWARENESS or the knowledge and manipulation of sounds in spoken words, PHONICS or the relationship between written and spoken letters and sounds, READING FLUENCY or the ability to read with accuracy, and with appropriate rate, expression, and phrasing, VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT or the knowledge of words, their definitions, and context; and READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES or the understanding of meaning in text.
The program addresses the different developmental literacy needs of the students with emphasis on acquiring basic comprehension, speaking, listening, and writing skills. The program is designed on a literature-based approach wherein reading skills are integrated within the context of read-alouds, shared, guided, and independent reading.
RKS uses the Singapore Math approach in teaching Math concepts to Kindergarten students. Through Singapore Math, students gain an understanding of Math concepts by actively training them to think as they work through each step of a concept. At RKS, we introduce the students to Singapore Math by encouraging critical thinking skills through puzzles, pattern series, use of picture graphs and other visual and kinesthetic representations. Engaging in active numeracy thinking helps the child understand, appreciate, and love math.
The RKS program focuses on the developmental GROSS MOTOR SKILLS and FINE MOTOR SKILLS which are essential to the holistic development of pupils at the preschool age.
The RKS curriculum prepares the pupils for the Reedley Life Skills program by teaching practical daily tasks and how to accomplish these tasks independently.
As stated in the ESLRs, at HEART, we wish to form students who are kind and respectful to others. Essential values to help mold the RKS children into well-rounded individuals will be taught.
The RKS curriculum provides the foundation for pupils to express themselves orally. This prepares the pupils for the social interaction they will encounter in Lower School 1 inside and outside of the classroom.


What We Do
In this the three-block Exploratory Tech class, students will learn foundational skills to prepare them to be successful in a Career Center Program in their junior and/or senior years.
Exploratory Technology students balance their time between practicing their academic skills and shadowing in all CVCC programs, giving students a chance to explore career pathways and opportunities provided by Career and Technical education.
The Exploratory Technology Program follows a curriculum that emphasizes the development of critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving skills. Students learn applied academic and technical skills designed to prepare them for success in any technical program at CVCC.
* All Exploratory Technology students will be required
to safely operate hand and power tools as they
complete technical projects. *
Successful students in this program have these academic opportunities available to them.
- A full academic education experience
- Basic First Aid and CPR Certification
- Time spent participating in every program at the Career Center
Vermont Proficiency Alignment
While covering a full curriculum of content specific to this trade, students in this program will be trained and assessed on the following high school-level academic proficiencies using the following indicators from Vermont’s Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements.
For more information about Vermont’s Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements, visit the VT Agency of Education’s website here.
Major Proficiencies: 1. Modeling 2. Number & Quantity 5. Geometry
Minor Proficiencies: 3. Algebra 5. Statistics
1. Physical Science 2. Physical Science 3. Life Sciences
1. Inquiry (1.a) 1. Inquiry (1.b) 1. Inquiry (1.c)
ENGLISH & LITERACY
1. Reading 2. Writing 3. Writing 4. Speaking & Listening 5. Speaking & Listening 6. Language
1. Career Exploration 2. Career Clusters 3. Career Readiness 4. Work Readiness 5. Reading 6. Writing 7. Speaking & Listening 8. Digital Citizenship 9. Creative Communicator
1. Communication 2. Self-Direction 3. Problem Solving 4. Citizenship 5. Integrative Thinking
See the link above to our Program of Studies for further information about this program, including...
- Recommended Reading Level
- Recommended Math Skills
- CVCC Safety Exam
Instructor: Timothy Hammond
Phone: (802) 476.6237 ext. 2134
The Central Vermont Career Center does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color,
age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status in
admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities.
Click here to read our official Notice of Discrimination as a full document.
The Central Vermont Career Center is committed to providing communication materials that are accessible regardless of ability. If you need information in an alternative format, please call us at (802) 476-6237.
Click here to read our official Accessibility Statement as a full document.
Education that works.
Site Designer and Web Master: Matthew Binginot.


Geneva Academy continues to grow in how we answer the question, “What is the role of music at Geneva?” The answer is a multi-layered one. Music has been an important part of the school and its pedagogy from its inception. On any given day, students sing jingles and chant to help them learn the patterns and facts taught in the grammar school. Music has been and continues to be a helpful tool in absorbing these facts and concepts taught in the classical Christian school method.
The classical Christian school movement as a whole continues to expand its understanding of how to better transmit, through music, those facts and concepts in the early years of the grammar stage especially. Geneva continues to move forward in this area as well. In addition, our students are chanting and singing robust hymns & psalms in their chapel convocations. This liturgical aspect of music training is by no means a given in the classical Christian movement and it is something that we need to keep as a priority. But what is the next step in recovering the former glory of music training?
We can’t be satisfied over time to see music merely as a vessel of learning, but we must continue to develop and conform our habits of instruction to the idea that music is central to all we do as image-bearers of the Triune God. We must not be blown off course as we seek to define the proper role of music to the surrounding culture. While arts advocacy groups grasp at modern rationale for the existence of music and the arts, Christians must not make our case around claims like “music makes for better test scores.” Instead, we must cut right to the heart of the reasoning for music education—music is central to understanding the rhythm of God’s creation and therefore it must be foundational in faithful Christian education. This position is counter-cultural because we acknowledge that the third person of the Trinity is the “music of God.” So, we must view music with more than a modest intrigue. It’s not enough to be merely friendly to music and the arts; rather, it should be one of our central activities. This doesn’t just mean taking our students through music appreciation textbooks alone, but rather fully training them to be literate doers of music.
We must train them in the practice and performance of music so that they can be more fully equipped to transform the culture through the worship of the Church. From there we would have them sing and take up stringed instruments, the piano, the trumpet, and the composer’s pen to re-echo the Gospel in minuets, cantatas, symphonies, and the like. The Psalmist says that the Spirit has given us a “new song” and we want to see that song amplified in our students in more vigorous ways. A proper recovery of music training means that students will not only be able to more robustly “repeat the sounding joy” through singing and making music, but better see how the world continues to be brought into proper Kingdom tune. While our exact methods are still very much in progress and being refined, we pray that the Lord would continue to prosper our efforts to His glory and our good in this endeavor.


by Mcnee Ciara
Better Maths numeracy skills series is:
a step-by-step Numeracy Plan from 1st to 6th Class
an easy-to-follow Weekly Assessment Profile in mathematics
a multi-grade numeracy development scheme.
Better Maths helps pupils to:
understand, practise, enjoy and apply mathematical skills
use and explore numbers and apply learning to real-life situations
understand the purpose of testing, recording and monitoring progress
improve their competence and confidence in mathematics.
Each book is divided into 30 4-page units: Mental Maths, Computation, Word Problems and Assessment.
Usually despatched in 1-2 working days
Date of Publication: 30/04/2014


McGraw-Hill Launches Reading WonderWorks to Help Struggling Readers Meet the Common Core State Standards
Published September 25, 2013
Reading WonderWorks develops fundamental reading and writing skills through a print and digital learning environment
NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill today announced the launch of McGraw-Hill Reading WonderWorks, a personalized, flexible and intensive intervention program for struggling readers in Grades K-6 that was built from the ground up to address the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. Reading WonderWorks, which supports Reading Wonders, McGraw-Hill's comprehensive Common Core reading program, was designed specifically to help students who are reading below grade level develop critical reading, writing and analytical skills required by the rigorous new standards so that they can accelerate through the curriculum and read on grade level by the following year. The program is currently rolling into classrooms across the country.
Available in both print and digital format, Reading WonderWorks was built to support the core instruction that occurs in the Reading Wonders classroom, but provides flexible options and scaffolds specific skills for students with varying intervention needs. For students in younger grades (K-1), the program emphasizes developing and reinforcing foundational skills from the Reading Wonders program (phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, fluency, oral vocabulary) that are crucial for developing proficient readers as defined by the Common Core State Standards. For older grades (2-6), the program's focus shifts to addressing higher level skills (practicing close reading, accessing the meaning of complex text, analytical writing) that are level-appropriate but still maintain the complexity that students are required to master. Foundational skills continue to be scaffolded to support students throughout the program as needed.
The program will also include Reading Wonders Adaptive Learning, a system developed in conjunction with Area9 that will continually assess a student's knowledge and skills and provide them with a personalized learning path to help them accelerate their learning.
"We believe that every student deserves a chance to succeed academically. With the arrival of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and a general trend to more rigorous educational standards, students who are reading below grade level will face even greater challenges in meeting them," said Peter Cohen, president of McGraw-Hill School Education. "The goal of Reading WonderWorks is to close the achievement gap among students, help struggling students develop foundational reading and writing skills in a self-paced and flexible environment starting as early as kindergarten, and accelerate them so that they can read on grade level and graduate with the confidence they need to succeed in college and beyond."
The Reading WonderWorks program seamlessly integrates with Reading Wonders through an interconnected digital platform for students and teachers across multiple devices, and the robust teacher platform provides both Reading Wonders and Reading WonderWorks instructors with shared access to built-in and customizable plans and resources to jointly push their students forward, already sequenced in the order of instruction. Also included in the platform are Foundational Skills Kits that teachers can use with students if they are missing key foundational skills that are potentially holding them back, as well as "Level Up" lessons that stretch and accelerate students to read on grade level. Placement and diagnostic assessments as well as the Reading Wonders Adaptive Learning system will help tailor instruction, gauge an individual student's progress and ultimately determine if a student is ready to exit the Reading WonderWorks program.
Reading WonderWorks offers interactive worktexts and e-books that allow students to take notes, utilize built-in prompts to help them identify and mark text evidence and most importantly, collaborate and discuss passages with their peers to help them think more critically and extrapolate the meaning of more challenging texts. The students' dynamic platform also engages them in games, graphics and ample practice to ensure that they become confident and proficient readers who can read on grade level and help students make progress toward satisfying more rigorous educational standards.
For more information about Reading WonderWorks visit: mhreadingwonders.com/wonder-works
McGraw-Hill is a digital learning company that draws on its more than 100 years of educational expertise to offer solutions that improve learning outcomes around the world. McGraw-Hill is the adaptive education technology leader with the vision for creating a highly personalized learning experience that prepares students of all ages for the world that awaits. The Company has offices across North America, India, China, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions available in more than 60 languages. For additional information, visit www.mheducation.com.
Visit our News & Media Center for current contact information.


OverviewExperiencing Music Composition in Grades 3-5 is a practical guide to new, innovative, and natural composition techniques for young composers. Music Educators Michele Kaschub and Janice Smith bring a wealth of experience to bear a unique and thoughtfully curated series of materials that help teachers connect music education to young composers' everyday emotions and activities . Divided into four sections, Kaschub and Smith's book illustrates a creative roadmap for instilling a sense of creative independence in students ages 8-11. The first section introduces readers to three distinct compositional ideals that are as educationally significant as the music they help create: feelingful intention, musical expressivity, and artistic craftsmanship. These capacities help springboard children's work from sounds and brief musical gestures to thoughtfully created, expressive musical pieces. Section 2 includes fun and imaginative lessons that are accompanied by Sketchpages-graphic worksheets that support deep consideration of a project's purpose during the compositional process. Lessons also include invaluable suggestions for productive sharing in a variety of formats. Section 3 offers guidance and strategies for sharing work, providing feedback, and encouraging future growth in a manner that fosters a positive learning experience and acknowledges each composer's musical autonomy. Section 4 contains additional teacher guides focused on creating original music in different genres. These guides outline multiple approaches to corresponding lessons and jumpstart activity while serving as developmental models. Experiencing Music Composition: Grades 3-5 offers new ways to promote not only creative intuition in children but also independent thought, preparing students for a fulfilling relationship with music.


It is one of the most beautiful works of architecture of the time of British rule (Ionian state under the sole protection of Great Britain 1815 – 1864). The building stands on a hill visible from the settlements of Livadi, Fatsadika, Kontolianika and Keramoto and is in an excellent condition. It was built in 1825 by the British commissioner, and engineer Macphail. The project was part of the overall organization of public education in all of the Ionian Islands. The constitution of 1817 established the right of free public education, with Greek becoming the official language of the state. Elementary education was based on the modern pedagogical method of the time, the monitorial method of the Lancaster and Bell system. According to this method, the older students taught the younger ones. In Britain, the monitorial method was in use since 1800.
The Monitorial School of Livadi, as it was named, instructed children of all the surrounding settlements in the morning and afternoon throughout the year. The students were between 5 and 15 years old. In 1825, 88 children from the surrounding settlements attended the school. The school remained open until the early 20th century, when new elementary schools were built in the surrounding settlements.
The building built with perfect dimensions has a domed roof. It was gothic-style windows with limestone frames and above the entrance one can see a marble tablet with an inscription with information on its construction.


We believe that people learn best by doing things embedded in meaningful and interesting contexts and that children need direct instruction in the content area in order to develop the skills necessary to be active participants in learning experiences.
The Community Roots integrated studies curriculum begins with concepts that are close to students such as home and family. Students will then use what they have learned about their own cultures, neighborhoods, and belief systems to learn to look outward to far away places as well as events, places and people in history. Students are taught the skills to formulate meaningful questions and look for answers that lead to deeper understanding of content.
The largest part of the day at Community Roots is devoted to developing literacy and communication skills necessary to gain understanding. At Community Roots we use a balanced literacy approach, a researched and proven method which recognizes the need for both the explicit teaching of skills and the opportunity for children to participate in activities that are designed to build comprehension and meaning. The fundamental components of literacy; reading, writing, listening, and speaking are the foundation of the Community Roots education. Students learn to read, write, listen, and speak for a variety of purposes and practice these skills in all curricular areas. At Community Roots we believe that students need intensive instruction in reading and writing in order to develop the skills they need to be literate members of society.
At Community Roots children go to the science lab and are taught by our Science teachers. We use the Full Option Science System (FOSS) curriculum. FOSS provides an inquiry-based, hands-on approach to science consistent with the Community Roots mission. This approach guides teachers in teaching children important scientific concepts while developing the habits of mind or skills of real scientists, including meaningful observation and exploration, testing hypotheses, and analyzing new information, while learning about the natural world.
Students investigate, experiment, gather data, organize results, and draw conclusions based on their own actions and scientific experiences. These processes enhance the development of scientific thinking. FOSS inquiries ask students to make use of all five senses for observation. This multi-sensory approach makes content accessible for all learning styles.
Collaboration is central to the enterprise of science. In K-2nd grade students are taught to work together but investigations allow for each student to have everything they need to work independently. Beginning in 3rd grade students will work in groups of four with each member contributing to management, data collection, data analysis and reporting of results.
At Community Roots all students experience visual expression and problem solving through design in our Art and Design Studio and are taught by our two Art teachers. Students work with a variety of media and materials and are encouraged to take creative risks and try new approaches in their work.
The art curriculum is tightly woven with the integrated studies curriculum and the content of our students’ art making is directly linked with the study that is taking part in their classroom. This connection between art and integrated studies creates a context for meaningful art making by utilizing our students’ rich common experiences and tapping into their enthusiasm for the learning that is going on in the classroom.
The art curriculum has been developed to meet and exceed the New York State standards and to provide all students with the knowledge and option to pursue visual arts in their future.
Our music curriculum, taught by our Music teacher, actively engages students in making music with their voices, bodies, and a variety of percussion instruments. Music at Community Roots is largely informed by the Kodály concept of music education. This philosophy holds that singing, particularly traditional folk music of various cultures, is the foundation of music learning. Community Roots’ emphasis on experience, skill building, and exploration is echoed in the music program. From their singing experiences, students make observations about the elements of music and how music works. They are then able to apply those ideas as they play and create. With this understanding, students then begin reading and writing music.
In addition to visual art and music we have a partnership with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). This partnership allows our students to receive dance instruction and to experience the performance arts at the exhibition level.
At Community Roots we understand the importance of physical education. Physical education is a time for students to learn and practice fine and gross motor skills, to learn how to actively participate in large group games and to develop habits that lead to staying physically fit. Students go to Physical Education twice a week and are taught by our Physical Education teacher.
It is through the study of people and different cultures, traditions, and daily living that students gain a sense of varying points of view. Conflict resolution is one way in which groups of students learn to work together collaboratively and develop strategies to solve problems that arise. Through programs such as the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) and Responsive Classroom and the study of our core values, students at Community Roots develop communication skills, the ability and willingness to listen to their peers, to take turns and to share responsibilities in order to accomplish a project greater than one person could do alone.


Everything You Wanted to Know About…!
Welcome to our learning and resources pages. These are made for you – children and parents – to help navigate learning and topics in each class, understand more about the curriculum we follow and find lots of brilliant websites to help with your learning whether you be a budding artists, curious scientist, book lover or marvellous mathematician.
Check out the individual page options in the menu. There’s a dedicated page for each class where you will find information about the class topic for the term, the class approach to homework and all the blogs linked to the class. There’s a page devoted to the National Curriculum where you will find information about the curriculum at Georgeham plus documents which outline the curriculum by year group. We’ve also extended the information about Numeracy and Literacy on separate pages so you can find out a lot more detail about how we approach these subjects at school. Our School Council have asked us to provide a voice for pupils on the site so check out Pupil Voice for blogs prepared by the pupils themselves. Plus you can find below a wealth of learning resources and interesting websites that are definitely worth exploring!
Find out more about the Tudors, Ancient Greece, WWII, the Victorians and other periods of History….
Find out more about space and the solar system, try out loads of cool experiments or learn more about the environment and green issues….
Links to sites with loads of maths games to make learning and improving your numeracy skills fun……
Find out more about countries like Brazil and China, as well as learning about features of our world such as coasts and rivers…
Find out more about your favourite authors and characters, or look for new books you think you might like to read…
|ART & CREATIVE SKILLS
Great ideas for art and creative projects you can do at home as well as top tips to help you improve your drawing and painting skills…


A critique, in this sense, refers to informed commentary and feedback about what is seen and communicated within an image. The critique process is standard in art education across all media. While studying art, critiques are given to the student in order to assist them in becoming stronger artists. Our premise at Seechr.com is that the critique is a necessary part of the creative process and need not stop when formal education has ended. By helping photographers and laypeople understand the images they create, they will necessarily become more visually literate and therefore stronger photographers.
How does it work?
You send us your photograph(s) and we give you a critique. Your critique will allow you to learn more about how you are using the aesthetic elements of photography, specifically composition and form. You will also learn more about technical skills you bring to this medium, as well as the conceptual strengths or weaknesses that are conveyed through your images.
In addition, your critique may touch on your intention within the photograph. For example, why you photographed a specific image or why you are consistently drawn to similar subject matter within a series. This aspect of the critique often alludes to an inadvertent intention or sub-conscious motivation that occurs in all creative endeavors. This is a crucial part of creative growth as it brings to the forefront something unintentional that may in turn increase awareness in future photographic shoots.


STEM education is getting the College Board treatment.
The organization that administers the SAT and Advanced Placement exams announced a new effort Thursday aimed at attracting more high school students to potential careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
The program, launching this fall in partnership with education nonprofit Project Lead The Way, will award a new “credential” to high school students who complete integrated Advanced Placement and Project Lead The Way coursework in engineering, biomedical science or computer science.
Companies in the STEM fields, as well as education organizations like Project Lead The Way, have long lamented how U.S. schools teach science, technology, engineering and math. Dry coursework disconnected from real-world applications, they argue, has repelled thousands of students and left many others ill-prepared to pursue STEM majors or careers, causing a shortfall of qualified workers.
“By 2020, almost two-thirds of jobs will require postsecondary education and training, and that statistic really brings to light a need to focus on college and career readiness,” says Anne Jones, senior vice president and chief program officer at Project Lead The Way. “You need to bring new and innovative and creative ideas, and to make those better, you need a strong foundation. You need fluency in math, fluency in science – and that is really the area where we have seen an opportunity for people to have applied and academic experience.”
The new program, she says, combines those different, critical elements.
Each of the initiative’s three pathways – engineering, biomedical science and computer science – will consist of three parts: an introductory “on-ramp” class produced by Project Lead The Way, an Advanced Placement class the year after, and then a “specialization” class by Project Lead The Way that more deeply explores specific careers or topics, such as electronics engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and aerospace engineering.
“An AP calculus course could be forbidding, but the Project Lead The Way courses will fit prior to AP as a way of bringing a group of students into that learning environment, building their foundational skills and getting them excited about taking an AP course,” says Trevor Packer, a senior vice president for The College Board and head of the organization’s Advanced Placement Program. “Then following the AP course, the student has the chance to take a specialization course that is very career-focused.”
Students who have completed the Project Lead The Way, Advanced Placement and specialization classes by the end of the 2015-16 school year will receive the program’s first credentials next summer. Those credentials will be marked on students’ transcripts for college admissions officers to see.
“Admissions officers clearly value students taking the most rigorous courses, but they also want to put a stop to any sort of arms race,” Packer says. The credential offers students the chance to "make more nuanced and principled decisions as they go through high school and tamp down on the rush to take more AP courses for AP’s sake.”
Schools that offer the integrated College Board and Project Lead The Way classes will also be awarded their own credentials, an incentive the organizations hope will encourage schools to participate.


The benefits of jazz education as mandatory teacher training education may be in providing a strong foundation in America’s music from which teachers can apply a multicultural perspective in the classroom. Unlike the European traditional foundation, a foundation in jazz studies provides a multitude of practices that are representative of what Jones listed as the “Composite list of ideas generated in late twentieth century music education movements.” Among these concepts are improvisation, composition, creativity, authenticity, indigenous repertoire, contemporary relevance, American history, theory, and philosophy, and the ability to develop skills in a music that students can use for the rest of their lives. The traditionalist or formalist may argue that the Western European model based on large ensembles can offer all these opportunities, but Jones argued,
There is little room for student creativity. This model is in direct opposition to the traits of knowledge workers, the intellectual heritage of the music education profession as manifested in various movements of the twentieth century, and may actually work against most students achieving the voluntary national and mandatory state standards for music education.
Performance opportunities in small jazz combos create platforms for musicians to communicate and create creative dialog in ways that are consistent with many of the world’s indigenous musical practices. Musicians who are trained in this genre strive to contribute meaningful dialog through these intimate musical conversations that reveal a musician’s background, training, and life experiences. Ingrid Monson describes this interaction as “A moment of community, whether temporary or enduring, (that is) established in such moments through the simultaneous interaction of musical sounds, people and their musical and cultural histories.”
This is not to imply that certain Western practices are not essential to the development of musicianship in the jazz genre, in fact, jazz musical proficiency demands the same rigorous theoretical and technical basis as its classical counterpart. However, as a music more reflective of popular genres in American society like rock, pop, country, bluegrass, gospel, and blues, jazz proficiency provides a springboard from which these other genres, as well as countless other world musics can be approached. For these reasons, jazz is America’s multicultural music, and should be the center of American musical education instead of the marginalized genre of a minority culture. The philosophy for its implementation is summed up by music educator David Elliott who wrote in “Music Matters”,
As a result of the multicultural nature of music, school music programs are also a primary way by which students can achieve self-identity, self-respect, and a sense of tolerance for themselves and others. Since schools today are concerned with preparing students for work and life in pluralistic societies and since schools themselves are more culturally diverse than ever, it stands to reason that schools should support the rich, cumulative, and enjoyable multicultural learning experiences that inhere in school music programs that induct children into a variety of music cultures.
The logical place to begin this musical revolution is in the teacher training programs of American universities, where future educators can become a bridge for the transformation of the culture of jazz from its historical practitioners to the American music educational system. In conjunction with the multicultural movement in American music education and the philosophies some of today’s leading musicologists it may be time to redesign the foundation of our musical practices in a way that is more representative of social pluralism. Jazz music, with its rich history of improvisation and spiritual representation of the struggle for human rights is too important in America’s history to be marginalized in the curriculum. Jazz music is America. Through inclusion in all college music preparatory teaching programs we will not only be working towards including America’s music in our classrooms, but providing educators with a substantial role in making sure that we are preserving the history of this music and the people who make it, a practice that may lead us to a better understanding of diversity and the quest for cultural plurality in our society.
Jones,Patrick, “Music Education and the Knowledge Economy: Developing Creativity, Strengthening Communities,” 8.
Monson, Ingrid T.(Ingrid Tolia), Saying Something: Jazz Improvisation and Interaction (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996).
Elliott, David, Music Matters a New Philosophy of Music Education (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 309.


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When creating an early elementary research paper, you need to set up clear expectations
Assessment and Rubrics Assessment of student mastery of content takes many forms. This pages includes support materials for assessments that work with the Common Core State Standards and rubrics for many different assessment products. It also contains some information on the creation of rubrics and assessment in general.
If you find a link that is not working, please let me know the title and I will fix it. Thank you! Common Core S tate Standards rubrics. Have a Common Core rubric to share?
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Personal involvement and thoughtful decisions can shape a person for such delicate ages. Students may have very little attention span but they are nevertheless very receptive which all teachers realize.
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Elementary levels produce a lot of classroom projects that need to be carefully recorded and scrutinized by the teacher. There are some very useful ways to make this job much more organized and easier without costing too much time, like scheduling time and setting outlines. The most effective means to make life easy for elementary teachers is to have a marking scheme for these assignments. A marking scheme is thoroughly used in later stages where examinations are taking across countries.
Checking and awarding marks is a difficult task because students are sensitive to their performance from their peers, which is why every teacher should at least have a research paper rubric for elementary students. They are highly versatile for all other assignments and will make your evaluation far more impartial and effective than the traditional way to grade students.
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Tags: , ,. Eventually students believe the right reasons to maintain quality, if that message is delivered, and these lessons will carry on to further levels. It is only an investment of time that really pays off in the end for the teacher as well as the students.
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It will lead to a reason for every award or deduction of marks. To make a research paper rubric for elementary students is a simple process which can be customized over time:.
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This is a guide to the development of literacy in the early years. It was produced by psychologists from NEPS (Mary Nugent and team)
A balanced approach, was designed and intended to support the national literacy and numeracy strategy 2011 by sharing effective evidence-based approaches and practices. It is drawn from material researched and published in the last fifteen years. Over the course of three sessions we aim to cover:
- An Overview of the balanced approach to literacy development in the early years
- An insight in how we could prevent reading failure, -looking at word reading strategies.
- Using written communication during the early years and assessment for teaching.
- Teachers development,
- Professional development and self-reflective practice.
The focus is on explicit instruction and providing the time to practice according to the need of the individual.
Facilitator: Orla Brady
Dates: Mondays: 7th, 14th & 21st October
Time: 7.00pm – 9.00pm
Venue: Dublin West Education Centre
|Course Date||07-10-2019 7:00 pm|
|Course End Date||21-10-2019 9:00 pm|
|Registration Start Date||06-09-2019 12:00 pm|
|Location||Dublin West Education Centre|