Exposure to general anaesthetic up to age 4 raises the risk of poor child development and reduced literacy and numeracy as measured by school tests, new research led by the University of Sydney reveals.
The new finding published today in Pediatric Anesthesia, is based on a data-linkage study of over 210,000 children in New South Wales, Australia.
Compared to children unexposed to general anaesthesia, those exposed to general anaesthesia had a:
- 17 per cent increased risk of poor child development
- 34 per cent increased risk of lower numeracy scores on school tests
- 23 per cent increased risk of lower reading scores on school tests.
When the researchers restricted their analyses to children who’d had only one hospitalisation involving a procedure requiring general anaesthesia, they found no increased risk for poor development or reduced reading scores, however the risk of poor numeracy scores remained.
“There are many reasons why a child requires surgery or investigation, and, in some cases, this may be lifesaving or unavoidable,” said the study’s senior author, Professor Natasha Nassar of the University of Sydney.
“For these children, our findings suggest that it is important to follow-up and monitor their literacy and numeracy skills when they reach school, and ensure early intervention, if required.”
Co-author Dr Justin Skowno, a clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney and senior staff specialist in Paediatric Anaesthesia at the Children’s Hospital, Westmead said:
“Determining exactly what is causing this effect is not easy.
“The children receiving a general anaesthetic in this study also had surgery, and often had other associated medical conditions.
“There are some procedures where alternative approaches or management may be possible, but the majority of surgeries in young infants and children cannot easily be postponed.”
“Parents can certainly discuss with their doctor and explore whether these procedures can be avoided, combined with other procedures, delayed to older ages or treated with alternatives to surgery, or other methods of sedation,” said Dr Skowno.
The researchers say further investigation of the specific effects of general anaesthesia on numeracy skills, underlying health conditions that prompt the need for surgery or diagnostic procedures is required, particularly among children exposed to previous or long duration of general anaesthesia or with repeated hospitalisations.
The 211,978 children included in the study were born in New South Wales at 37-plus weeks’ gestation without major congenital anomalies or neurodevelopmental disability. Of these, researchers had data on their school entry developmental assessment in 2009, 2012, or their Grade-3 school test results in 2008-2014.
The researchers compared the developmental and school results of children exposed to general anaesthesia during hospital procedures (37,880) up to 48 months of age to same-aged children with no exposure to general anaesthesia or hospitalisation (197,301).
Measures of development, literacy and numeracy
Child development was obtained from the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument (AvEDI), a nationwide triennial assessment of child development. It includes results from teachers’ assessment of five developmental domains: physical health and well-being, emotional maturity, communication skills and general knowledge, language, and cognitive skills (numeracy and literacy) and social competence.
Based on national percentiles, children with domain scores in the bottom 10 percent are classified as developmentally vulnerable in that domain. Children who are vulnerable in 2 or more domains are classified as developmentally high risk.
Children’s Grade 3 school performance was ascertained from the NSW Department of Education National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) conducted in public schools in 2009- 2014. NAPLAN tests cover 5 domains: reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.


Use simple storytelling props to act out a favourite traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood in imaginative play! There are so many opportunities for early literacy development in this type of exciting dramatic play and it is developmentally appropriate for young children.
Welcome to a brand new series called Playful Storytelling that we are co-hosting with Ness who writes over at the gorgeous One Perfect Day. We are very excited to share a whole range of wonderful ideas for celebrating books and stories with our children in a completely playful, hands on way.We will be bringing you a wide range of activities from puppet making, oral storytelling, dramatic play, book making, creating story props, designing masks, making story boxes and small world story scenes to name but a few! We have been busy planning many genres and themes that we will be working through over the next few months and we very much hope you will follow us as we do so.
Keeping early literacy fun and playful is essential. Too much pressure to read and write can be intimidating and plenty of young kids get turned off learning way too early in life because they’re forced into it too soon. The foundations of good literacy skills dwell in comprehension and language skills, which are fostered best through listening to stories and retelling them in a fun way. This series will address this incredibly important way of learning and will be packed full of ideas for parent and educators to use with 0-7 year olds (and beyond!)
Our first series of ideas are all based in Nursery Rhymes and Traditional well-loved tales, the ones that we all know and love from our own childhoods and that don’t even need a book to accompany them. My girls love all of these so we are having lots of fun at the moment retelling them together!
We gathered some very simple props for dressing up and story telling from the story of Little Red Riding Hood. I found a red scarf of mine that could fit over their heads to become a little hood. Then we found some fabric flowers, a wolf puppet and a basket with some wooden food. Cakie got our copy of Little Red Riding Hood and we read it again together to refresh their understanding of the main events of the story. Then we divided up the parts and acted it out!
Cakie was able to tell the story herself as the narrator, with me filling in the parts as tshe directed. She wanted to be Little Red and Pop was instructed to be Grandma. First she walked through the woods and gathered some flowers to add to her basket for Grandma. Then she met a wolf who was decidedly up to no good! And hurried on to Grandma’s house to find a wolf-shaped Granny tucked up in bed.
Together we retold the familiar words and Pop joined in too. If she forgot any of the details I added them in as a narrator and she picked up the thread again herself. After she got gobbled up, I came along as the woodcutter and chopped open that naughty wold to free them both! They celebrated together with “yay, the big bad wolf is dead!”
The end of our story finished with “and they all lived happily ever after”. There was a lot of emphasis on using storybook language and keeping the main events in the right order throughout. This whole set up took all of 4 minutes to gets ready and was decidedly unprepared and natural, rather than spending ages creating the perfect costume or fashioning props, we just went with improvisation and had lots of fun. In that way it was achievable and something we could do again as a quick play idea at any time of day, which is important for busy parents!
What they are learning as they play:
literacy: oral storytelling, sequencing events in the right over, using storybook language, narration, opening and closing stories, simple story structuring, developing story book characters, remaining in role during dramatic play
phse: working together to perform a story retelling, organising each other during play
Now check out the gorgeous Hey Diddle Diddle Storytelling Sticks at One Perfect Day!
Follow our brand new Playful Storytelling Pinterest board!
Search for more playful literacy ideas here, there are hundreds in our archives!
Here are some other Traditional Tales Ideas:


Our program uses the Integrated Developmental Educational Approach to Learning™ (IDEAL™) model to design and implement effective intervention programs that address the needs of the child at every level of development to produce significant and lasting social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral changes. Our program combines multiple therapeutic approaches, functional life skills, and traditional educational areas in an individualized treatment program that is customized for each of our students.
This approach is unique to The Next Step Academy and the benefits can be observed in the progress that is made by each of our students. Focusing on the development of the individual as a whole, and addressing the needs of the mind, body and spirit, children with Autism are able to learn and grow in ways that were once thought impossible. The Next Step Academy is committed to providing a diverse and challenging learning environment that assists our students in achieving their greatest potential.
The Integrated Developmental Educational Approach to Learning consists of 3 main areas of instruction:
Core Foundation Abilities
Learning Readiness Abilities
About the IDEAL Model™
Core Foundational Skills for Learning
1. Neurodevelopment (ND) is the process of connecting the brain and body systems, so neural connections between the brain and the body are strong, efﬁcient and effective. The brain-body systems begin developing in utero, and make rapid developments after birth. The ND curriculum focuses on developing strong foundations in the ares of sensory integration, primitive reﬂex integration and developmental movement patterns. The work in this area supports the development of gross and ﬁnd motor skills, as well as social and cognitive response, allowing children to step out of primitive motor patterns and survival reactions. It teaches the brain-body system how to experience less stress and greater ease in learning. We utilize a wide variety of ND tools, techniques and modalities. Our team is always looking for new and innovative ways to support the growth of the brain and the body at the earliest levels of development. Some of modalities we currently use: BrainGym, Rhythmic Movement Training, MNRI, HANDLE, BalAVisX, Quantum Reﬂex Integration and Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT).
2. Relationship Development (RD) is the process of learning to make meaningful and strong connections with others. Our approach to RD builds dynamic intelligence and teaches the unwritten rules of how to be in true relationship with others. Children learn to attend to others in their environment, to reference for information, to co- regulate in emotion sharing and to coordinate actions. They learn to enjoy being with others, not for any tangible gain, but for the joy that comes from making and keeping friends. As the child matures in the area of neurodevelopment, he unlocks new possibilities for the limbic system to grow and mature. The limbic system is our emotional center, and has strong connections to memory, learning and play. Our RD coaches utilize frameworks to teach these dynamic skills in a predictable ways, allowing children multiple opportunities to learn, practice and build ﬂuency in the language of relationship.
3.Behavior Development (BD) is the process of building a repertoire of functional and supportive actions, that provide a basic framework for self-regulation (impulse control) and group readiness (impulse control in a group setting) to emerge. Maturation in the areas of ND and RD, allow the child to exert higher levels of cortical control over their actions. Using principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), such as positive reinforcement, chaining, shaping, redirection and prompting, children learn what works to produce the outcome they desire. The additional resources that ND & RD provide allow children to respond positively to behavior intervention plans and strategies. Our BD curriculum incorporates the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) Model, which supports the child in learning new and more functional ways of coping with and managing stressors.


Thanks to a $48,000 grant from the AAPG Foundation, 17 teachers from across the country recently completed an online pilot course on “Teaching Earth Science at the High School Level,” which is expected to expand to help meet a growing national need in geoscience education.
“It’s designed to make sure that earth science, in the states where it’s taught at the high school level, is taught really well,” said Rebecca Dodge, AAPG Member and associate professor of geosciences at Midwestern State University in Texas.
Dodge developed and taught it, having adapted the five-week online course from a previous five-day course she developed and taught for two years through the American College of Education.
“When I came here to Midwestern State University, I knew they were going to start teaching earth science at the high school level, and I asked around in the school districts here, ’Who’s going to teach this high school earth science class?’ and everybody was saying, ’Oh God, I hope it’s not me,’” she related.
“So I thought, ’They hoped that because they don’t have the foundational skills – they don’t have the basic earth science concepts, so I developed the class and I offered it here in Wichita Falls with funding from the North Texas Geological Society. They gave scholarships for teachers to come take it in a five-day, weeklong eight-hour workshop.”
The course caught the notice of the American Geosciences Institute, which sent a proposal to the AAPG Foundation asking for scholarships to support teachers wanting to obtain the fundamentals needed to teach to a high school audience.
“This is why this course was designed: In many states, they don’t certify high school earth science teachers. You can get a broad field certification that says you should be able to teach earth science, or you can get certified in chemistry or biology, but not in earth science,” Dodge explained.
“So, two years ago when they started teaching earth science at the high school level, who was teaching it? People like… the coach who teaches chemistry or, in most cases, a really good science teacher, but who has no geoscience background at all.
“Somebody who taught biology for 12 years and is an excellent biology teacher, her principal came up to her in May and said, ’Oh, by the way, you’re teaching earth science next fall,’ and of course she said, ’Yes sir,’ and then went home and cried. So, that’s why this course was developed.”
The pilot program ran June 16-July 18 and was hosted by the Illinois Institute of Technology.
AGI will be handling the national rollout next year.
“We’re teaching it for the first time this summer. We’ll tweak it and make it better and offer it again next summer and we’ll still have money left to give scholarships,” said Dodge.


Here’s a music lesson plan written specially to celebrate the customs and traditions of St Patrick’s Day. Older children will love this magical theme with the Rainbow Circle Game and Pot Of Gold Rhythm activity, while younger ones enjoy the little leprechaun puppet and the jolly Celtic jigs! The St Patrick’s Day lesson plan is 17 pages long.
This lesson is suitable for children from 21/2 – 7 years and should take around 35 mins, but many of the activities can be used again separately whenever you need a short musical activity at any other time for a bit of lively movement or at circle time. There’s a whimsical feel to this class with plenty of encouragement for little imaginations!
This Digital Lesson Plan Teaches…
- Learning solfege with chime bars or resonator bells
- Playing a variety of percussion instruments, recognising the steady beat and the rhythm.
- Listening skills, remembering patterns and echoing rhythms
- Singing together with actions – puppets, speech development and motor skills
- Social skills; working in a group, following instructions and building confidence
- Lively movement to traditional Irish folk music.
These plans are not intended to read as a script, as everyone will have their own teaching style. More, I hope that they will provide you with in-depth guidance for a number of related activities that I have found in my years of teaching to be particularly effective and engaging combinations.
I have purchased every lesson you have available and LOVE them all!! I lead music classes for toddlers and preschoolers and I love how each of your lessons builds on each other. They are easy to adapt for the different ages. The parents of my students love that their kids are learning early music education while having a blast and that the kids go home and sing and stomp out rhythms. I would highly recommend your plans to everyone. And I look forward to seeing the other lessons.


The Art Education Centre «Trīs Krāsas» has published an introductory textbook «Design Stories», intended for teachers who wish to familiarize their pupils with the basic principles of design. It features creative exercise for 9 to 16–year–olds.
«Design Stories» comprises twenty examples from Latvian designers, who represent various directions in design, starting with new versions of familiar products such as clocks, lamps or shoes, and ending with broad design solutions like store interiors, urban planning, and giving a distinctive identity to art exhibitions. Each chapter tells the story of a design problem and the way it was solved, supplemented with photographs and illustrations. Three assignments have been added to each story, connecting the example provided with exploratory and practical tasks suited for pupils. The educational material is suitable for pupils aged 9–16. It is meant to introduce them to the world of design, help them come up with and evaluate their own ideas, learn to collaborate with others, perfect their debating skills, and defend their opinions. The texts are written in both Latvian and English. «Design Stories» is designed by the design studio «H2E».
The authors of the book are Ilze Kupča and Ilze Vītola, founders of «Trīs Krāsas» and experienced art educators. The Art Education Centre «Trīs Krāsas», founded in 2000, is a non–governmental organisation, that aims to promote the art education processes in Latvia. The centre implements various art education projects, organises creative workshops at art exhibitions and museums, creates educational materials and hosts seminars for art teachers.
The book «Design Stories» is available at the Art Education Centre «Trīs Krāsas», Miera iela 15/1, Riga, and on its online store.


Every artist has their goals and dreams. Creative souls often look for suitable tools for visualizing them. Paul Klee (1879-1940), a prominent Swiss artist, was a seeker par excellence. He, the son of a music teacher and singer, was lead to the career of a musician. He was an excellent violinist, but in his teenage years, he gradually became a painter. It was partly because of the revolt, and partly because he didn’t consider the music of his youth (turn of the 19th and 20th century) to be worth following. His musical opinion was conservative, but as a visual artist, he became an inspiration for many modernist artistic movements, such as expressionism, cubism, surrealism as well as abstract art. Paul Klee - In the Style of Kairouan
You may ask why we talk about him. Well, as an artist, he lived in a special space between music and visual art. He did not imitate the reality seen but made hard-to-define feelings and visions visible. He began with a fact, but gradually his paintings became compositions of lines, shapes, and colors. In his paintings, he unconsciously applied the musical principles of creation. He gradually abstracted the reality into colored areas, which can be perceived as the equivalent of musical tones. He was looking for something deeper than the reality. He constantly oscillated between the difficulty of African culture and the European spaciousness of the image. Maybe it was because partially African blood was circulating in his veins. Paul Klee - Kairouan
What does associate this unique artist with Rebelle? All his life, Klee was looking for new visual forms by using a combination of painting techniques and materials. He experimented with lines, colors and different backgrounds. For him, the line was not only a capture of the object’s contour but also "a self-purposeful walk without a specific goal." Whether digital artists nowadays prefer precision or looseness in their art, sophisticated tools in Rebelle can assist with this. You can draw freely, yet with a helping hand of Ruler tool, the program gently guides your freehand lines to be more accurate.
Klee's sensitive interaction of background materials and watercolor is also typical of Rebelle, which makes the program distinctly different from others. Just as every musical instrument has its specific sound color, each background used in Rebelle differently interacts with the color. In Rebelle you have an opportunity to achieve the contrast organically – you can combine the precise shapes made with selections or stencils with a playful and rather uncontrolled flow of watercolors.Image courtesy of Hidehisa Miyagawa - painted digitally in Rebelle 3
However, Rebelle has something extra that Klee didn't have back in his days. It's time control. You can stop or start the color-spreading process in Rebelle at the moment that suits you best. You are the conductor of random diffusion processes and can freely move through the interspace of the game and deliberate creation. Rebelle is not just a tool for imitating the reality. It invites the artist to create images of indefinable feelings. Unwind with the melody of shapes!Image courtesy of Wolfgang Schweizer - mixed media with Rebelle 3
Be inspired by reality, but let Rebelle show imaginative color diffusion and airflow while experimenting with its real world-inspired tools. Don’t be afraid to explore different backgrounds and tools, enjoy the creative process, look for hidden and reflections of your artistic mind will be revealed!Paul Klee - Stufung rot/grün
The list of Paul Klee's paintings can be found here.
Author Mgr. Ľubomír ZABADAL, PhD. is an expert for traditional art media and assistant professor at Department Of Creative Arts and Art Education at UKF University, Slovakia.


Literate Thought: Understanding Comprehension and Literacy introduces students and professionals to the multifaceted concept of literate thought and related complex concepts such as language, literacy, cognition, and comprehension, in addition to new and multiple literacies, psychological and disciplinary models, and critico-creative thinking.
Literate Thought: Understanding Comprehension and Literacy details the various aspects of a model or theory of literate thought with examples to enhance understanding of the concept. This incisive text provides an overview of literate thought and emphasizes the necessity to develop literate thought in individuals from a multiple perspective, not just from print literacy only. With alternative and additional options for developing literate thought, the possibility to improve levels of thinking in everyone, including children with disabilities and those learning English as a second language, may be increased. This ground-breaking text provides meaningful application in practice for speech-language pathology, special education, psychology, and reading and literacy professionals. Includes chapter objectives, key concepts, chapter summaries, tables, figures, suggested readings, and review questions.
- Critico-creative Thinking
- Cognitive and Disciplinary Structures
- New & Multiple Literacies
The populations discussed in this book include children with:
- Language or Learning Disabilities
- Visual Impairments
- Deaf or Hard of Hearing
- Cognitive or Intellectual Disabilities
- English Language Learners
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Introduction to Literate Thought
Chapter 2 Comprehension and Literate Thought
Chapter 3 New and Multiple Literacies
Chapter 4 Cognition and Discipline Structures
Chapter 5 Critico-Creative Thinking
Chapter 6 Children with Language/Learning Disabilities
Chapter 7 Children with Sensory Disabilities
Chapter 8 Children with Developmental Disabilities
Chapter 9 English Language Learners
Chapter 10 Conclusion: Literate Thought in A Brave New World
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Peter V. Paul, PhD-Professor, School of Teaching and Learning, Ohio State University
Peter V. Paul, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education & Human Ecology at the Ohio State University. One of his major responsibilities is teacher education for individuals interested in the education of d/Deaf or hard of hearing students. Dr. Paul's research interests involve the areas of vocabulary, language, and literacy. He has published extensively on language and literacy development. His scholarly texts include Education and Deafness (1990), Toward a Psychology of Deafness (1993), Literacy and Deafness (1998), Language and Deafness (2009, 4th ed.), Reading and Deafness (2010; with B. Trezek and Y. Wang), and Hearing and Deafness (2011). Dr. Paul has conducted workshops for educators and parents on an international, national, state, and local level on topics in literacy and literate thought. He is the current Editor of the American Annals of the Deaf (established in 1847), the oldest professional journal in the field of deafness. Dr. Paul has received the College of Education Senior Research Award (2000) and the Richard and Laura Kretschmer National Leadership Award in Hearing Impairment (2010).
Courses on Critical Thinking and Language Disorders in Children in Speech-Language-Hearing, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Special Education, Speech & Hearing Science, Psychology, and Reading/Literacy.


Kelly Gagnon is a secondary math teacher at Gorham Middle & High School (GMHS) in Gorham, NH. She has been a teacher for 19 years and is always looking for new ways to teach math, especially through technology. Kelly is a member of both her school’s Steering Committee and the district’s Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Data team.
GMHS recently adopted an integrated math curriculum and changed their credit structure. In an integrated curriculum, students are exposed to skills from a combination of curricula (i.e. algebra, geometry, and statistics) in one year.
Under the new credit structure, students move through the integrated math curriculum independently and are awarded credits accordingly. Advanced students who complete Integrated Math 1 and Integrated Math 2 in one year, for example, are eligible to earn credits for both courses as long as they can demonstrate mastery of the curriculum’s core competencies.
In response to these changes, Kelly puts together a list of activities that teach each skill in the integrated curriculum. Recognizing that each student will be at a different place on the list, Kelly sought out a program that could:
Tell us about how Knowre made its way into your classroom.
I worked as a facilitator for the New Teacher Center, an organization that provides new teachers with experienced mentors. They shared Knowre as a resource, and as I am always looking for new tools, I decided to pilot the program with my students.
The pilot, all across the board, was successful. The most important criteria for me was the ability to monitor students’ progress in real time. One often cited disadvantage of technology is that it can distract students. I use Knowre’s Teacher Dashboard to see how students are doing, and my students know that I am watching their progress as they are working. It helps keep them on-task and accountable.
My principal came in to observe during a Knowre session and he observed my students loving the program. He greenlighted the program and we’re now on our second year with Knowre!
How do you use Knowre? Where does it fit in an integrated math curriculum?
For each lesson covered in the integrated curriculum, I create a list of activities for the students to complete during class time.
Knowre is always the first task on the list because I use it to introduce the content. I’m easily able to find the Knowre lessons that correspond to the skills on our curriculum by using the Topics & Skills Guides.
Prior to using Knowre in my classroom, I introduced new concepts by delivering a lecture. Now, students get their introduction through Knowre. Knowre provides a good foundational understanding of the content that students develop further as they move along the list of activities.
I like that Knowre’s instructional videos are short, concise, and pertain directly to the practice question. Students can also use the Walk Me Through feature if they do not know how to approach a problem.
How has Knowre helped you as a teacher?
Knowre allows me to personalize my instruction. By cutting the time that I spend delivering lectures to an entire class who are all at different levels, I can now use that time to help students individually one-on-one and address their needs directly.
The Teacher Dashboard has been a great tool for me to keep a consistent eye on their progress. In an integrated curriculum, students are working across all four of Knowre’s curricula. The dashboard keeps their data intact even as I am constantly moving them between classes, curricula, and school years!
I also appreciate how receptive the Knowre team has been to our needs. The training webinar to start is very helpful and I like receiving the monthly reports that show how much we have used the program.
How has Knowre benefitted your students?
Knowre’s content delivery is consistent and there are no gaps. My students trust that they’ll learn what they need to know from Knowre. On the NWEA Maps test, 77% of students from fall of 9th grade to fall of 10th grade made gains. Knowre does a great job of helping students develop foundational skills, which in a subject like math, builds upon itself.
Kelly Gagnon, Secondary Math Teacher, Gorham Middle & High School
Gorham Middle & High School Quick Facts


Our Kindergarten curriculum focuses on developing foundational skills that prepare students for later learning in the areas of math, science, social studies, and language arts.
Understanding the alphabet and reading comprehension is a primary instruction in Kindergarten.
Group discussions of books are lead and students begin to identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. They start asking and answering questions about the essential elements of a story.
Recitation of poems, rhymes, and singing of songs helps them recognize and use complete, coherent sentences when speaking. Children spell independently using their enhanced phonetic ability and growing vocabulary.
Students begin to develop writing skills with guidance by using a combination of drawing, storytelling, and writing to convey an event or share an opinion.
With the introduction of phonetics, students begin to understand and document their ideas in words. They write, using real letters, and spell out words phonetically. Students are also introduced to the computer as a tool to produce and publish writing projects. Children spell independently using their enhanced phonetic ability and growing vocabulary.
Kindergarten focuses on understanding the relationship between numbers and quantities. Kindergarteners learn to count to 100 by ls and 10s, and write numbers from Oto 20. Students learn that each number refers to a quantity that is one larger as they count objects and say the corresponding number names. Kindergarteners count objects (as many as 20) to answer “how many?”
Addition is represented using a variety of approaches; i.e, objects, fingers, drawings, sounds, verbal explanations and equations. Subtraction is represented by putting together items and taking them apart to solve problems up to 10.
Music is integrated into the lessons to accelerate development of spatial temporal reasoning which is integral to the acquisition of important mathematics skills.
Our students are introduced to life science, physical science, earth science, and space science. They explore materials, objects, and events by observing them, altering them, and noticing what happens. We encourage our students to use all their senses to make careful observations of objects, organisms, and events, thereby developing measurement and classifying skills. They engage in simple investigations including making predictions, gathering, recording and interpreting data, recognizing simple patterns, and drawing conclusions.
Dance is integrated by adding and subtracting movements from a dance sequence within a Science lesson to create a correlation to movement of materials and how their properties change.
Introduction to foreign language incorporates songs, drawing, coloring, and cultural visual aids. Our children learn more easily when taught by song, especially when hand and body gestures are added. This engages children kinesthetically. Music and songs also help to reinforce pronunciation and accent as well as vocabulary.


THE ONLY WEB PORTRAYAL OF A NATION'S ENTIRE MUSICAL LIFE - DESCRIPTIONS, NUMBERS, ISSUES, FUTURES
Rainbow Serpent Festival - January 2013
By Asher Floyd (Creative Commons)
Credit: Simon Whitaker (Creative Commons)
ABOUT 'MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA'
The Music in Australia Knowledge Base provides the world with a source of information about musical practice in Australia and/or by Australians that can assist in its further development and lift its status in Australian life and culture, and in the world at large.
The Knowledge Base describes the situation of music in Australia. So, for instance, it could describe the situation of music in schools – what is provided, the competence of the teaching, government attitudes and so on, but would be much less likely to dwell on intricacies of pedagogy or syllabus.
It covers the entire music sector including the role of music in human development and society, music’s creation and practice, the music sector and its components, government policies, regulation, support, the international context. It covers facts, issues of contention, statistics, research.
The Music in Australia Knowledge Base is produced and published by the Music Trust. The Trust’s slogan: The Music Trust works with energy, imagination and authority for music in Australia.
New ADDITIONS TO MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA
Loudmouth is the free monthly online magazine of the Music Trust. It reports current developments, discusses matters of policy, politics and cultural development. Its music education section covers issues ranging from early childhood to career development, community music and educational research. Its excellent reviews are written mostly by musicians, and include important recordings and books not reviewed elsewhere.
THIS MONTH ON LOUDMOUTH
THE GROWING EDGE
Reports on what 27 other government are doing for their artists. Makes Australian government look perverse. Survey: Australians want government lifeline for creatives. / INSIDE THE MUSICIAN: famous opera singer Peter Coleman-Wright and virtuoso international flautist Lina Andonovska / Carriageworks and HOTA: what two arts centres are facing during COVID. / Literary magazines are essential for new authors – but they are being killed by funding cuts / ABC and NLA commissioning opps / Aussies win big international pop music competitions
MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA KNOWLEDGE BASE
Launch of entirely restructured site.
How music education stays afloat during COVID / Paavali Jumppanen a brilliant choice for Artistic Director of ANAM / NZ teachers danced in the streets when their ‘NAPLAN’ was terminated / NZ principal says students will need the arts in a changed post-coronavirus world / Defining a context for music learning / Online resources for music education
All the candidates have been nominated. But by whom? See the list. / The Classical nominees are being announced daily on the Fellowship FB site / Concerts replaced by special recording projects.
MUSIC AND BOOK REVIEWS
THE BEST MUSIC REVIEWS page in Australia. Written mainly by musicians.
LOUDMOUTH’S JUNE REVIEWS
Melting Moments, Anna Goldsworthy / Playing Changes: Jazz for a New Century. Nate Chinen
JAZZ. [A]part. Ellen Kirkwood, Sirens Big Band / Five Below Live. Andrea Keller and quintet / The Shadow. Luke Howard Trio / Slip Sliding. Rob Burke, Ben Monder, Tom Rainey / I Wrote You a Song. Emma Stephenson, with Olivia Chindamo, Jane Irving, Kristin Berardi, Liam Budge, Jo Lawry, Liz Tobias
CLASSICAL. Sonatas for Flute and Piano by Australian Women. Aulos Australia / Live at the Sydney Opera House. Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Australian Opera cond. Richard Bonynge
NEW MUSIC. Classic Kids: Sounds Like Australia. Ensemble Offspring / Epiphany. Ensemble Liaison / The Peasant Prince. A Symphonic Tale. Music by Katy Abbott, narration Luke Carroll, TSO cond. Ben Northey
CONTEMPORARY On Diamond, by On Diamond / Respect All Lifeforms. Custard


Zooming Hearts – a fun Valentine’s Day science activity kids love!
This is such a cute and fun science activity for Valentine’s Day (or any day)! Can you make a paper heart zoom? If you’re sneaky with the dipping part, you can also make it look like a cool party trick and amaze your friends. Science magic!
This activity is fun for a bunch of age groups, from preschoolers to grade school kids. Jewel is 9 and Bumble Bee is 7 in the videos below – they can easily do all the elements without help, but they still found it fun!
How to make a heart zoom
*Note: affiliate links to similar products used are included below
I love that this is one of those fun activities you can whip up in under 10 minutes, and that it only uses everyday items you probably already have at home. It also makes a perfect indoor science project for a rainy day!
- a shallow tray or plate
- red paper
- dishwashing liquid (aka dishsoap) in a small bowl
- red food colouring (optional)
1. Add enough water to cover the bottom of a plate or tray. Add food dye if you are using.
2. Pour dishwashing liquid into a small bowl.
3. Cut out small paper hearts. We like to fold the paper and cut half a heart out along the fold, which opens up to be a full heart. (Our hearts are more symmetrical when we do it that way!)
4. Drop a paper heart into the water and see what happens. (This is the ‘control’ part of the demonstration or experiment). Hopefully it will float and not move around too much!
5. Predict what will happen if you dip a heart in dishwashing liquid first, and then drop it in the water. (This is the ‘hypothesis’ part).
6. Test it out. Dip the tip of a paper heart into the dishsoap, and then place it in the water. It should zoom!
(Note: To duplicate the experiment, you’ll need to replace the water each time.)
7. Experiment! Do the results change with different sized hearts? Do different brands of dishsoap affect the result? What about using other liquids (eg olive oil). Be sure to carefully record your results. This would make a great science project!
8. Share your findings in the comment section below!
Here’s a video of three of our attempts…
What’s happening here?
Water has surface tension. You can see it when you look at a water drop, and it bulges up a bit. That’s what allows a regular paper heart to float on top of the water.
Soap breaks down the surface tension of water – this is one of the reasons why soap makes a good cleaner. So when the heart dipped in dishsoap touches the water, the surface tension is reduced, and the water wants to spread out flat. As the water spreads out, it pushes the heart along, so that it looks like it is zooming across the plate.
We have a bunch of heart-themed science ideas your kids will LOVE over on our Valentine’s Day Science & STEM projects page, including:
- how to make heart-shaped bubble wands. But the sciencey question is – can you make heart-shaped bubbles?
- how to make a Borax crystal inter-locking hearts necklace – Jewel loved this one.
- how to make salt crystal heart decorations that are really sparkly!
If you liked this activity, you might like to follow Go Science Kids and Fun Science for Kids boards on Pinterest.
And, of course, you can always subscribe, to receive our latest activities via email.
* This post contains affiliate link(s). An affiliate link means I may earn referral / advertising fees if you make a purchase through my link, without any extra cost to you. These fees help keep this blog afloat. Thank you for your support!
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Contemporary Musical Parenting
Quality of interactions between teachers, parents, and music students is key improved music learning. Parents are a major influence on students’ musical lives. Contemporary musical parenting is part of a broader ecosystem of influential people in the musical education of children.
Research has previously identified that quality interactions between teachers, parents and students (Creech, 2010) are crucial to a supportive and productive musical education for young students. Parents often play a lead supporting role in the musical development of their children. Although parents may themselves lack the necessary musical skills and education, they indirectly support their childs’ musical education via being an important link. Through activities such as driving to lessons, watching concerts, discussing lessons with the teacher, setting expectations and supporting their childs’ musical progress, the parent is an import supporter in music education.
Musical parenting is viewed as a developmental process. Through early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, parents form valuable beliefs about the purpose of a music education and install these values into their children. The stronger the belief of the parent in the value of a music education, the more important a music education will be in the life of a child (Sloboda et al., 1991; Sosniak, 1985).
Intensive Parenting Phenomenon
Contemporary research has identified that parental involvements in the lives of a child’s education has substantially changed over time. In Western middle and upper-class families, there is the phenomenon of intensive parenting (Furedi, 2001). Intensive parenting has been characterised by constant supervision and monitoring as well as specific beliefs and behaviours towards children and child rearing. Some views held are those which are concerned with getting children ahead in an increasingly competitive world. For example, enrolling children in a wide array of extra-curricular activities is one example of this trend of cultivation to improve future opportunities.
Building a CV
For some, intensive parenting sees music education as a way of improving skills and abilities while building a curriculum vitae which will get their child ahead in the world. This however, can be at odds with music educators. The scheduling for the multitude of extra-curricula activities leave little time for effective instrumental practice.
The ideology behind musical parenting has shifted for some to be seen as a commodity, and therefore suspect to change. If music teachers now find their students have little time to practice due to all the other after-school activities of their students, it can be that parents value a music education in different ways to perhaps when we had music lessons.
There is still much to understand about musical parenting in contemporary society. What we do know are that parents are a key factor in the music education of children. It is important for music educators to discuss with parents and find out what parental values are held and how music educators can hep to shape musical parenting which is empowering for both teacher, student, and parent.
Creech, A. (2010). Learning a musical instrument: the case for parental support. Music Education Research, 12(1), 13-32.
Furedi, F. (2001). Paranoid parenting. London, England: Penguin.
Ilari, B. (2018). Musical parenting and Music education” Integrating research and practice. Update : Applications of Research in Music Education, 36(2), 45-52.
Sloboda, J. A., & Howe, M. J. A. (1991). Biographical Precursors of Musical Excellence: An Interview Study. Psychology of Music, 19(1), 3-21.
Sosniak, L. A. (1985). Learning to be a concert pianist. In B. S. Bloom (Ed.), Developing talent in young people (pp. 19-67). New York: Ballantyne.


What is a developmental delay?
Developmental delay refers to a child’s significant and ongoing lag in meeting developmental milestones in any or all of the following areas: cognitive development, social and emotional development, speech and language development, fine motor skill development, and gross motor skill development.
What causes developmental delay?
There is no single cause for developmental delay, but there are genetic and environmental factors that increase the risk of developmental delay in a child. Children with a genetic or chromosomal abnormality (like Down Syndrome) are at an increased risk for developmental delay. Environmental risks for developmental delay include: exposure to toxins (e.g. drugs and alcohol) or infections (e.g. measles, HIV) passed from mother to child during pregnancy; prematurity; severe poverty; maternal depression; and poor nutrition.
How do I know if my child is developmentally delayed?
If your child does not meet developmental milestones within the appropriate, expected time frame, do not assume that he is developmentally delayed. You should, however, consult your child’s doctor to insure that no concerns or issues are overlooked or ignored. A full evaluation completed by a professional is necessary to determining if a true delay exists.
How can I help treat my child’s condition?
Treatment for developmental delay is dependent upon the areas in which a child is experiencing delays. For example, a physical therapist would work with a child with gross motor delay; an occupational therapist would work with a child experiencing fine motor skills delay and/or deficits in sensory processing; and a speech-language pathologist would work with a child displaying delays in speech, language, oral motor skills, and/or feeding difficulties. Other professionals who may be involved in treating a child with developmental delays include a nutritionist, audiologist, psychologist, developmental therapist, education specialist, neuropsychologist and/or licensed professional counselor.
Our Approach at North Shore Pediatric Therapy
At North Shore Pediatric Therapy, our therapists work with children with developmental delays using a multisensory approach to provide the child with experiences which help improve his fine and gross motor skills, speech and language skills, oral motor skills, social skills, behavior, sensory processing skills, feeding skills, attention, and any other difficulties that are hindering his ability to fully succeed socially, academically and personally.


Information in this blog post has been taken from the official Kodaly Academy website. To find out more about the Kodaly Approach, please visit www.kodaly.org.uk
Kodály training develops musicianship through singing. The student engages in the most direct of musical responses without the technical demands of an instrument. This practical approach combined with a clear progression from the simple to the complex facilitates the development of excellent musicianship skills such as sight singing and keen pitch discrimination, as well as high levels of musical literacy. Kodály training is suitable for all ages and stages and can be applied to all kinds of music from classical to world music and jazz.
“Music belongs to everybody”
The educational work of Zoltán Kodály was driven by his overriding belief that “music belongs to everybody”; that active participation in music-making develops a person on all levels and that best approach is through the instrument accessible to all – the human voice.
His ideas evolved into a philosophy of music education based on the way that children learn most naturally: through singing games, fun and play. Through his vitality and research, and the work of his colleagues and students, a sequential and progressive approach to teaching music was implemented in schools throughout Hungary based on an integration of the best practices observed throughout Europe.
Kodály believed that music education should begin as early as possible, that highly trained teachers were essential, especially in the early years, and that the rhymes and songs used should be of the best quality starting with familiar children’s songs and simple mother-tongue folk songs.
The 21st century sees Kodály’s principles at the heart of music education in many countries throughout the world, adapted whilst remaining true to the core tenets of the concept. It is a complete and comprehensive approach that covers every requirement of the music curriculum – and so much more!
“A well-trained ear, a well-trained mind, a well trained heart and well-trained fingers”http://kodaly.org.uk/about-us/kodaly-approach/
This video comes from the channel L – tiz on YouTube and gives us an insight into how Kodaly can be used to teach music to a group.


Educational reform movements are constantly in the process of trying to improve a fractured educational system. Many scholars contend there is a discrepancy between educational outcomes for White students and students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Some educators in working class communities of color have begun to infuse elements of students' social and cultural backgrounds, including popular culture, to create instructional methods that can better engage and pique student interest. Hip-hop Pedagogy is one of the methods, rooted in popular culture, which is being used in classroom settings to increase students' awareness about the societal constructs and issues in their communities that may affect them. Student access to Hip-hop based instructional methods, however, have been limited and virtually absent from elementary education settings. However the consumption of Hip-hop culture persists in urban communities worldwide. This qualitative study implemented a Hip-hop emergent-based curriculum in an elementary school setting, closely documenting the perceptions and responses to the curriculum by four young males students of color. The study consisted of five consecutive classroom sessions, in which the curriculum and dialogue focused on different expressions of Hip-hop culture. Student viewpoints were logged daily in focus groups and the data that emerged from the sessions and focus groups informed the emergent curriculum. Graffiti became the Hip-hop element of focus chosen for deeper exploration by the participants in this study. The study revealed a number of findings that point to the potential value of an emergent Hip-hop curriculum with elementary male students of color.
|Commitee:||Nama, Adilifu, Stone, Brad|
|School:||Loyola Marymount University|
|School Location:||United States -- California|
|Source:||DAI-A 76/06(E), Dissertation Abstracts International|
|Subjects:||Cultural anthropology, Elementary education|
|Keywords:||Critical pedagogy, Culturally relevant pedgagoy, Graffiti, Hip-hop pedagogy|
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By Teachers, For Teachers
It seems as though parents these days either don’t want to be involved in their child’s education at all, or they want to be a be too much a part of it. Those that want to be too involved are referred to as helicopter parents: They are the parents that hover over their children, and have a somewhat unhealthy vision of how much they should be a part of their child’s education. While most teachers wish that they had more parents that would be involved in their students’ education, sometimes the overbearing parent can actually hinder the success a student has in school. According to Psychology Today, a new study suggests that helicopter parenting can actually cause anxiety in children as well as inhibit a child’s emotional and cognitive growth. While it may be hard for parents to see a child fail, it is also a necessary part of a child’s development. As a teacher, you may be asking yourself what classroom management tips you can use to hinder these types of parents from landing their helicopter in your classroom. Here are a few classroom management suggestions.
Sometimes, the helicopter parent is hovering over their child so much because they are concerned for a specific reason. Give them their time to talk. Invite them into school for a meeting and find out what (if anything) is bothering them. Most of the time the parent has a concern about their child and just wants to make sure that they are OK. All you can do is reassure them that they are indeed OK. You can also come up with a plan together to help ease their minds. If their concern is that the student is having anxiety in school and needs to work alone for tests and quizzes, then reassure the parents that you are doing everything in your power to make sure their child is getting what they need to succeed.
Oftentimes the children of helicopter parents have an underlying issue, and the parents are always trying to help fix it for them (anxiety, depression, etc.). Try going directly to the student first, before the parent, and give them a chance to speak. This will allow the student to develop the coping skills that they need in order to grow, and eliminate the parents’ need to worry so much.
Helicopter parents tend to wedge their way into as many things that involve their child as they can. They can become overbearing, and make endless phone calls trying to take over. Try and redirect this energy by giving the parent a new way that they can help their child. Suggest that they become part of the PTA or help run the local fundraiser. Tell them that the community and the school needs them there, where they will be of more use.
Helicopter parents are usually concerned with a multitude of things concerning their child. Try and help them narrow their concerns down to only the essential ones. Work together to try and come up with practical solutions that will help the child, without the parent getting overly involved. For example, if one of the major issues that the parent has with their child is that they are worried the student isn’t making any friends in school, then sit down with the parent and tell them how you working to help rectify the situation.
While your perception may be completely different from that of the parents, it’s still important to validate it. Helicopter parents want to be heard, and they want to know that you as the teacher understand what they are trying to say, and what they are trying to do for their child. Even if you don’t agree with them, all you have to do is make sure that they know you understand where they are coming from.
Helicopter parents can be a challenge to work with, but nonetheless they are involved in their child’s education, and that needs to count for something. Try not to take it so personally, and just remember that these types of parents think they are just doing what’s in the best interest for their children.
How do you deal with helicopter parents in your classroom? Do you have any classroom management tips that you think will help teachers? Please share your ideas and experiences in the comment section below, we would love to hear what you have to say.
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 master's of science in education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is a contributing writer to TeachHUB.com, TeachHUB Magazine, and Skyword. She was also the Elementary Education Expert for About.com for five years. You can follow her on Twitter @Empoweringk6ed, on Facebook at Empowering K6 Educators, or contact her at Janellecox78@yahoo.com.


Access Algebra is a research-based math curriculum for high school students (ages 15–21) who have moderate-to-severe developmental disabilities, including those with an intellectual disability or autism. The curriculum gives students access to content their high school peers are learning, but with the adaptations and support they may need to succeed. The curriculum accommodates students who have unique needs, including those who are nonverbal and those whose math skills are at an
emergent numeracy level.
Access Algebra applies the research-based strategies of systematic and task analytic instruction with the use of graphic organizers and real-life math stories—a combination of strategies found to support problem solving that requires more complex thinking.
The curriculum has four units of study for a year-long algebra course:
- Descriptive Statistics (statistical analysis, data, dot plots, histograms, mode, mean)
- Exponents/Scientific Notation (base, exponent, power of)
- Linear Functions (linear equations, coordinate graphs, inverse operations)
- Quantitative Reasoning (proportional relationships, ratios)
All lessons include task analyses, graphic organizers, workbook activities, and manipulatives to allow students to solve the math story problems.
- The 40 lessons are scripted (including how to prompt students who are not responding and how to correct errors) so teaching complex math concepts is easy.
- Math story problems reflect scenarios typical of young adults (e.g., engaging in school and community events, looking for part-time work, or doing chores at home).
- Pre-teaching lessons in each unit address foundational skills students may be lacking or need review of—preparing students for learning the unit concepts.
- Lessons address the diverse needs of students in your classroom, including those at an early numeracy level or those ready for more challenge.
Curriculum Includes: 1 Student Book, 4 Instructor’s Guides with USB flash drive, 9 Graphic Organizers, manipulatives, and a set of 2 consumable Student Workbooks (1 for Units 1 and 2; 1 for Units 3 and 4).
Curriculum Plus Includes: The Curriculum plus a total of 20 consumable Student Workbooks (10 sets of 2), the GoWorksheet Maker App, a set of corresponding GoWorksheet activities, and samples of communication overlays.
|Author||Katherine Trela, PhD; Bree Jimenez, PhD; Alicia Saunders, PhD; Linda Schreiber, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL|
|ISBN||978-1-57861-268-0, 978-1-57861-269-7, 978-1-57861-270-3, 978-1-57861-271-0, 978-1-57861-272-7, 978-1-57861-273-4, 978-1-57861-274-1|


A gentle beginning to your child's educational journey.
“We are fully human only while playing, and we play only when we are human in the truest sense of the word.” – Rudolf Steiner
The Kindergarten is a garden for the soul of a child to explore, a peaceful and gentle place filled with natural beauty, sunlight, and laughter. It’s a refuge where a child can enter the golden state of play where genuine learning occurs. It is found not only in a classroom, but in friendship and in nature, in time and weather.
The modern pace begs such a haven for our children. What is truly needed is not the crowded hustle bustle of academic instruction, but a sanctuary that breathes with a child’s rhythm and serves to build their relationship with the world through igniting a love of learning. Kindergarteners at River Song enjoy an intimate, wisdom based curriculum where they learn through art and story, through the rhythms of the seasons and poetry. Whether under a willow tree next to a laughing creek, sledding down hills in the snow, or interacting with our high quality natural toys, they acquire the skills to share a foundational human narrative.
The principle of flow is important: some of our “kinders” may engage the kindergarten experience again the next year as elders, and other friends may move on to 1st grade adventures. You may rest assured that whichever way a child is inspired to go, he or she will do so with strong foundational skills to empower that journey.
Play is the best instructor, so our kinders enter letters, numbers, and other concepts experientially. They hear the sounds of a letter repeated in stories and poems carefully selected to feature that letter. They draw the letter with their feet in the sandbox and fashion it in bread dough. They paint the strokes of the letter in watercolor. Through engaging the senses in natural play the true essence of the letter emerges for the child. Numbers are experienced in a similar way. We may count stones to build an edge for a flower bed and measure the ingredients we need to make our snacks. Shapes and colors are discovered in the natural world and described with love, only to be rediscovered with joyful enthusiasm on our regular nature walks. Science surrounds us in everything we do both inside and outside of the classroom. We serve the learning of the whole child in this way, deepening their engagement with the world.
Our Bluebell kindergarteners meet Monday-Friday, 8:30am-2:00pm. We have a flexible drop off window of 8:00-8:30 as well as after care available from 2:00-5:30pm (additional charge for after care).
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: children are at the school engaging in meaningful and hands-on learning and exploration in the classroom and play yards.
Tuesdays are spent at the willow tree on Spring Creek Trail
Fridays are adventure days! Drop off and pick up will take place at a local natural area where the children are fully immersed in the science of nature. Hiking, exploring, adventure journaling, picnicking, and deepening the connection to the beauty that is around us.
Why River Song Kindergarten?
- Small class size
- Low teacher:student ratio
- Lessons taught through play and experiential learning
- Friday adventure days at local natural areas
- Seasonal field trips
- Healthy, organic snacks
- Real life lessons and projects to enhance whole child development
- Emphasis on social/emotional development
- Each child's need are met on an individual basis
- $250 materials fee, which can be broken up into payments throughout the year.
- $50 registration fee for new families


Brown Bears – The Grizzlies
When you think of a big, fierce bear, you’re probably thinking of brown bears. North American brown bears are sometimes called grizzlies, and they are definitely big, fierce animals. Brown bears live in Europe and Asia too.
Brown bears are the second largest bear, after polar bears. Male brown bears weigh between 300 and 900 pounds. These big bears love salmon and other fish. In Alaska, Washington and Canada, they stand in rivers and catch the fish in their mouths or with their paws.
Fun Facts about Brown Bears for Kids
- Brown bears aren’t just brown. Some are cream or black.
- Brown bears are omnivores, which means they eat just about anything. They’ll eat deer, fish, small mammals, berries, honey, nuts and plants. They’ll eat your garbage if you let them, but you should never feed a bear.
- Brown bears dig cozy caves with their long claws. They sleep in the caves for most of the winter. Their heartbeats slow down to 10 beats per minute.
- Brown bear mamas have babies during the winter while they are asleep! The babies drink mama’s milk and stay warm in their mama’s fur. In the spring, mama wakes up to meet her new cubs.
Brown Bear Vocabulary
- Grizzly: A name for North American brown bears
- Fierce: Aggressive, a bit scary
- Salmon: A type of fish
- Omnivore: Eats meat and plants
- Cozy: Warm, comfortable
Learn More All About Brown Bears
Check out this amazing video all about brown bears:
A documentary video about grizzly bears fishing for food.
Brown Bear Q&A
Question: When are brown bears the hungriest?
Answer: When they first come out of their caves in the spring. They live off their fat during the winter. They lose up to one-third of their weight while they are sleeping. Talk about a crash diet!
Question: Are brown bears dangerous?
Answer: Brown bears are more aggressive than other bears, but they usually leave people alone unless they feel scared.
Question: Where do brown bears live in America?
Answer: In zoos, of course, and in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Brown Bears info? Take the FREE & fun all about Brown Bears quiz and download FREE Brown Bears worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
Cite This Page
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Brown Bear Quiz / Question Paper
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At the elementary level, literacy and math skills might be taught within a project, meaning acquiring the requisite skills will help students meet the product and content goals of the project and address learner need to knows. Or, the skills might be taught alongside, meaning acquiring the skills won’t directly support the product and content goals of the project or address need to knows, so they’re taught in a separate block of time.
As teachers become more and more familiar with Project Based Learning, they are able to integrate more and more literacy and math instruction within the project. You can see NTN’s articulation of that typically progression in our Elementary Spectrum of School Development (see the literacy and math strands specifically).
With literacy instruction, foundational skills (phonemic awareness, phonics (both decoding and encoding, or spelling) are usually taught alongside the project. This is because these skills need to be taught in an explicit, systematic way, which can make it difficult to embed them in projects. They can be reinforced or practiced within projects, however. For more on effective, research-based foundational literacy instruction, see our foundational literacy resources.
Reading comprehension and writing, however, benefit from being taught within the project, as this allows learners to read and write for authentic purposes and audiences. This requires that the project is designed to include a written performance task. For more on ways to embed literacy within a project, see our Guide to Literacy and PBL. For more on the rationale for our distinction between literacy instruction that occurs alongside vs. within PBL, see our Literacy Best Practices and the NTN Model white paper.
At NTN, elementary math instruction typically starts out occurring alongside PBL, with connections to projects as appropriate. However, even if math instruction is occurring alongside projects, we encourage teachers to bring in inquiry, mathematical discourse, and help students develop mathematical self-regard (mathematical agency), all of which aligns with research based best practices in math instruction and the key components of PBL. Over time, teachers will find it easier to integrate more math instruction into their projects and may even design projects that focus on math skills (e.g. a project on budgeting). In addition, after gaining familiarity and comfort with PBL, we encourage teachers to start designing Problem Based Learning math units for their students. Problem Based Learning is very similar to Project Based Learning but is shorter in duration and focuses on solving a math problem rather than creating a product. For more on these shifts, see our Math Best Practices and the NTN Elementary Model white paper.


Yet another fun and exciting experiment from our Fascinating Science for Kids eBook (get yours now…it’s currently free)! This post was inspired by The Recipe Room, Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas, and Steve Spangler Science.
Just so you are not confused, this is not a real lava lamp…you can’t plug it into the wall or anything. But it does, however, imitate the look of a lava lamp!
Here’s what you’ll need: a 16 oz. or 1 liter bottle (we used a 2-liter and it used WAY too much oil), vegetable oil (or whatever kind you have), water, a funnel, food coloring, and Alka-Seltzer tablets.
*Alka-Seltzer tablets are considered medicine and contain aspirin. Do not let your child handle this medication.*
1. Fill your plastic bottle half-full with oil. This is why I suggest using a smaller bottle…we used over half a bottle of oil with this experiment alone!
2. Fill the remaining half with water. Have your children watch as the water separates and slowly sinks to the bottom (because it is heavier than the oil).
3. Add 10 drops of food coloring (use only 1 color).
4. Cut one Alka-Seltzer tablets into fourths. Again, do not let a child handle the Alka-Seltzer tablet as it is medication.
5. Drop a fourth of the piece of Alka-Seltzer into the top of the bottle and watch what happens!
6. To get the “lava-lamp” effect, you’ll need to add another fourth of Alka-Seltzer every 30 seconds or so.
The Science Behind It:
Both the water and the food coloring sink to the bottom of the bottle while the oil floats at the top because water is heavier than oil. The food coloring dissolves in the water but not in the oil. When you drop the piece of Alka-Seltzer into the bottle, it reacts with the water and creates carbon dioxide gas bubbles. Because the food coloring has already dissolved into the water, the bubbles are “colored” and float to the top! Once they ‘pop’, the colored bubbles sink back to the bottom of the bottle.
Download your free Science eBook with this experiment and 14 others by clicking below and entering your e-mail address. You’ll immediately receive an e-mail that will have the link to the eBook! If you would rather not be an e-mail subscriber, “like” us on Facebook and then send us a private message to claim your FREE eBook.


What Child Issues Can Affect Cognitive Development?
Cognitive development -- the development of intelligence and problem-solving abilities that begins during infancy -- is influenced by a variety of factors 3. Providing an emotionally stable and stimulating environment for your little one helps ensure optimal cognitive development. When a child is not raised in such an environment or is deprived of positive experiences, learning disabilities and other cognitive delays might ensue.
According to a web page on the Princeton University website, children living in poverty are 1.3 times more likely to suffer from cognitive delays and learning disabilities than children born into higher-income families. Parents living at poverty level are often unable to provide the same educational opportunities and material advantages as families in a higher income bracket. Families who live in poverty might have unorganized homes and stressful lives that contribute to these cognitive outcomes in their children.
The National Sleep Foundation warns parents about the importance of sleep for children because it directly affects their cognitive development 23. During the early years when a child spends more time sleeping than awake, sleeping is the main activity of the brain. While your baby or toddler might be able to function just fine -- besides being a bit cranky -- without a good night's sleep, these sleeping issues can set him up for problems later in life. Poor sleeping habits in school-age children might result in hyperactivity and poor academic performance.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that neglect in early childhood negatively affects brain and cognitive development in the early years and has repercussions that last into adolescence and adulthood 3. Experiences in a child's first years are the foundation of his intelligence, personality and emotions. When a child suffers from neglect and abuse, these experiences often lead to learning disabilities, and behavioral and mental health issues that have the capability to haunt a child for the rest of his life.
According to the Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy Development, parental education has a strong connection to language and cognitive development of the child 3. Princeton University points to the expansion of higher education in the 1960s and 1970s, which improved overall infant health. Educated parents are more likely to provide an enriching and stimulating environment in which they engage in activities such as reading and playing with their child. Educated parents also have higher academic expectations of their child, which -- according to The Journal of Family Psychology -- correlates to higher reading and math scores 1.
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Jumping pepper science experiment
Science for kids is fun and exciting. Watch the kids learn and discover new things all the time. The best part is – science is fun.
What you need:
- plastic box
- woollen scarf
Number of players:
Sprinkle a thin layer of pepper into a small see-through plastic box.
After putting the lid on, rub the lid with a woollen scarf for 30 seconds.
After the 30 seconds, watch the lid.
You should be able to see specks of pepper jumping up and hitting and sticking to the lid of the box. Why?
Rubbing the lid with the woollen scarf creates a build-up of static electricity, which attracts the pepper.


In this virtual convening, Dr. Osnat Zur and Dr. Faith Polk, Senior Program Associates from WestEd, began with a review of the benefits and challenges of using technology and interactive media to support children’s learning. They continued with an exploration – featuring photographs of real-world early learning environments – of ways educators are using technology to support early learning in specific domains. Finally, the presenters offered ed tech developers key considerations for creating developmentally appropriate technology to enhance early learning experiences.
Dr. Osnat Zur is a Senior Program Associate with the Center for Child & Family Studies at WestEd. She serves as Project Director of WestEd’s partnership at the National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning. Prior to her Project Director role at the national center, Zur had been leading content development for PD2GO, a collection of professional development modules developed for First 5 California designed to support continuous improvement in early childhood programs. Previously at WestEd, Zur served as the lead researcher and author for the California preschool foundations in the domain of science, and for the state’s preschool curriculum framework in mathematics and in science. She also developed assessment measures in cognitive development — math and science —for the Desired Results Developmental Profile instrument and for other school readiness instruments.
Dr. Faith Polk is a Senior Program Associate in the Center for Child and Family Studies at WestEd. Dr. Polk collaborates with the content development and training team at the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning, an Office of Head Start funded project, to support the implementation of evidence-based teaching practices that contribute to positive child outcomes. Her areas of expertise include early childhood educator preparation and workforce development, Dual Language Learners, child assessment and emergent literacy development. Prior to joining WestEd, Dr. Polk, a former National Board Certified Teacher (Early Childhood/Generalist), was an Associate Professor and Chair of Early Childhood Education, a California Preschool Instructional Network Lead and a Program Specialist for the Pre-Intern Teacher Program. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher where she grew her passion for both early care and education and teacher preparation.
Note: NewSchools Ed Tech virtual convenings are developed and shared with ventures as part of our virtual accelerator program. When possible, we also make recordings of these presentations available to the broader ed tech community.


Earning a master’s degree in education for teaching music may be a best option for individuals interested in sharing their knowledge and passion for music with younger generations of students. Students in a master’s degree program in music education are likely to spend a great deal of time learning music and top educational theory.
Not many people have the ability to learn and master musical instruments. Fewer still have the desire and capability to share their gift with students who are eager to pick up an instrument. Individuals who are intimately familiar with a particular type of music and are filled with a passion to help others discover similar capabilities may be well-suited to pursue a master’s degree in teaching music.
There are a variety of educational paths that may be well-suited for those who wish to become music teachers. Whether students wish to specialize in music education, private instruction or music therapy, there are many degree options that may be ideal for learners of all sorts.
Depending on the type of degree you wish to pursue, courses will differ. Students who want to pursue a career as a private tutor or instructor that specializes in one particular instrument may take classes pertaining to the type of music they're most familiar with. This could include guitar, piano, cello or violin. These courses may further familiarize students with the instrument, how to play it and how to excel in conducting or composition.
Individuals who are interested in teaching, whether by private instruction or through an institution, may choose to earn a degree in music education or teaching. Along these degree paths, students are likely to be introduced to classes that show people how to teach music to interested learners. Students might specialize in teaching grade-school students, or they can opt for courses that would allow them to pursue careers teaching learners in a collegiate environment. Individuals opting for an educational emphasis may take classes pertaining to childhood development or psychology, as these classes are designed to help prepare individuals to work with younger students.
Music teachers work in a variety of settings, from colleges to private homes to nonprofit organizations. Those who wish to pursue careers with elementary, middle or high school students may be well-suited for a career as a music education teacher. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, middle school teachers had a median annual salary of $53,4301 in 2012, while high school teachers earned a median salary of $55,050. 2
Those looking to pursue careers in the collegiate environment may earn higher salaries, especially if they work at an institution that specializes in music education or music business. As of May 2013, the BLS estimated the median annual salary for college music professors was $72,630.3 Often, these instructors have flexible schedules, which permit them to tutor individuals in their spare time for additional funds.
The music industry has undergone a measurable shift over the past decade, as digital streaming and cloud technology made their way to the public forum. Teaching practices in the industry have reflected such changes, so those who wish to teach music must make an effort to remain well-versed with the industry and its practices. These individuals must also be willing and able to convey information to students, ensuring their pupils are ahead of the times as well.


ERIC Number: ED530837
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Mar
Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Middle School General Music
Burton, Suzanne L., Ed.
Rowman & Littlefield Education
Middle school general music may be a student's last encounter with school music. A practical book with accessible pedagogical resources on middle school general music is needed for methods courses and music practitioners' use. The book "Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Middle School General Music" presents numerous ways to engage adolescents in active music making that is relevant to their lives so that they may be more apt to continue their involvement with music as a lifetime endeavor. Structured in twelve chapters, the book begins with perspectives on adolescent development and working with students with special needs. Five chapters are devoted to the pedagogy of teaching students practical musical skills such as singing, playing the keyboard, guitar, drums and percussion. Chapters on starting a steel band, using informal and formal music learning strategies, incorporating technology, implementing world music techniques, composing in the classroom, and the use of music-based learning centers lead the reader into implementing musical approaches focused on the "doing" of making music. The book is filled with musical examples, sample rubrics, and resource lists that take the reader beyond the book's content. "Engaging Musical Practices" provides exciting and classroom-tested content that connects in and out of school music making for adolescents, generating excitement for musical participation. This book is a necessity for any practitioner who teaches students in the middle grades or as a text for secondary general music methods courses. Contents include: (1) Adolescent Development and the General Music Classroom (Krystal L. Rickard McCoy); (2) Making it Happen: Creative Pedagogy for Learners with Special Needs (Deborah V. Blair); (3) Singing in Middle School General Music Classes (Frank Abrahams); (4) Middle School Keyboard Ensemble Class (Kenneth R. Trapp); (5) Teaching the Guitar as a Tool for Creative Expression (Clint Randles); (6) Drumming & Percussion (Gareth Dylan Smith and Brian D. Bersh); (7) Steel Band in the Middle School General Music Classroom (Harvey Price); (8) Informal, Intuitive, Interdisciplinary, & Interactive: Middle School General Music with a Twist (Gena R. Greher); (9) World Music (Janet Welby); (10) Engaging Adolescents with Music and Technology (Alex Ruthmann); and (11) Experiencing Composition: A Creative Journey for Middle School Students (Michele Kaschub and Janice P. Smith).
Descriptors: Adolescent Development, Methods Courses, Music Education, Music, Singing, Creative Activities, Learning Strategies, Adolescents, Special Needs Students, Teaching Methods, Middle Schools, Educational Practices, Learner Engagement, Technology Integration, Middle School Students
Rowman & Littlefield Education. 15200 NBN Way, P.O. Box 191, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214-0191. Tel: 800-462-6420; Fax: 800-338-4550; e-mail: email@example.com; Web site: https://rowman.com/RLEducation
Publication Type: Books; Collected Works - General; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Middle Schools
Authoring Institution: N/A


The "Into the Book" web site is designed to help elementary students practice eight reading comprehension strategies through playful interactive activities. The site focuses on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. "Behind the Lesson," the teacher area of the site, provides information, lesson plans and other resources for teachers.
In this module, students will use literacy skills to become experts— people who use reading, writing, listening and speaking to build and share deep knowledge about a topic. (This focus on research intentionally builds Module 1, in which students explored the superpowers of reading.) The module will begin with a class study of the bullfrog, an example of a “true frog,” that exhibit quintessentially froggy characteristics. In Unit 2, students will form research groups to become experts on various “freaky” frogs—frogs that push the boundaries of “froginess” with unusual adaptations that help them to survive in extreme environments throughout the world. Students will build their reading, research, writing and collaborative discussion skills through studying their expert frog. Throughout the module, students will consistently reflect on the role of literacy in building and sharing expertise. Students will demonstrate their expertise through a “freaky frog trading card”—a research-based narrative that highlights their research and educates others about the amazing diversity of frogs with a focus on how their freaky frog survives.
This module focuses on a deep study of the classic tale Peter Pan. Students will consider the guiding question: How do writers capture a reader’s imagination?
In this eight-week module, students explore the questions: “Who is the wolf in fiction?” and “Who is the wolf in fact?” They begin by analyzing how the wolf is characterized in traditional stories, folktales, and fables. Then they research real wolves by reading informational text. Finally, for their performance task, students combine their knowledge of narratives with their research on wolves to write a realistic narrative about wolves.
This board game combines practicing conversational English for adult ESL students with using the various purposes for oral communication (informing, entertaining, persuading, and honoring/inspiring). It will also develop foundational reading comprehension skills through game participation and will develop professional communication and interpersonal skills by allowing discussion of different social subjects that students could encounter in daily life, academic, and career situations.
In this module, students will use literacy skills to build expertise—using reading, writing, listening, speaking, and collaborative skills to build and share deep knowledge about a topic. This focus on research intentionally builds on Module 1, in which students explored the superpowers of reading. Specifically, students will seek evidence of culture, which can be thought of as the story of a group of people constructed through the generations; it can be evidenced through ancient and modern-day customs and traditions. The module will begin with a class study of the culture of Japan: Students will read Magic Tree House: Dragon of the Red Dawn, a book set in ancient Japan, paired with Exploring Countries: Japan, an informational text about modern Japan.


An extensive music education begins early, in early childhood. A music education must contain not just repertoire understanding, but theory, composition, history, and individuals. Professor Zoltan Kodaly, a Hungarian composer and teacher in early 1900s, discovered that youthful Hungarian children were not aware of methods to read music fluently, as well as not aware of the musical heritage (Chosky, 1999). To understand Hungary now, you might not realize that it was the situation within the 1900s. Hungary lives and breathes music. Presently, Hungary has 800 adult choruses, and various professional orchestras (Chosky, 1999). Hungary is really a country about how big Indiana (Chosky, 1999), so music penetrates the nation. Kodaly introduced a technique, the Kodaly Method, which systematically teaches children, or beginning adults, music. The training relies in folk music, of a person’s country of origin, and uses the background music to educate theory, composition, and history (Chosky, 1999). This process has infiltrated the planet with it’s not hard to understand concepts and time lines.
Within the U . s . States music is trained in many schools. However, as funding and music teachers have grown to be unavailable, music programs happen to be cut. This insufficient education within the public school system leaves music education to the parents, which regrettably many parents don’t have the understanding or tools (instruments and music) to educate their kids appropriately, not to mention fluently. In Hungary children get the eight year program devoted particularly to music that is outside of the kids regular studies (Chosky, 1999). In The United States, schools have music once, or possibly two times each week, if. Although music programs in The United States aren’t as intense as other nations, an extensive teaching method, like the Kodaly Method, enables children to get the fundamental skills of music literacy.
Jerome Hines in the book “Great Singers on Great Singing” notes that lots of individuals misconceive the brilliance of [musicians]. These people appear to consider that [musicians] needn’t be very vibrant they simply do music (Hines, 1982, 2006). Hines (1982, 2006) writes of his interview encounters with famous singers and claims that through his interviews discovered that [musicians] are intelligent in general. Another misconception that lots of people have is the fact that musical education matters not. Music education is extremely different and can instruct individuals in lots of areas. Particularly the piano mandates that individuals learn rhythm, notes, and elegance. These 3 things require math skills, studying skills, and historic understanding. Exactly the same could be stated of other instruments and also the voice. While not everyone can master or perhaps play essentially a musical instrument or sing, learn the fundamentals of music while increasing their understanding of culture, math, and history. This appreciation consequently helps individuals improve their knowledge of people and may increase positive telecomutting saves gas.
To make sure that children get a comprehensive music education, a couple of steps must occur. First, take a look at child’s music enter in the college. Will a music program exist? Otherwise, what’s the child’s teacher doing instead? Most teachers required music education classes when receiving their degree, so most know the significance of music and also the essential skills it may educate children. Second, enroll your son or daughter in music training of some type. Many piano teachers will require children as youthful as 6 years of age. This can be a prime method to introduce children to rehearse skills, precision and skill, types of music form and elegance, as well as creativeness. And finally, show your son or daughter that music skills are essential by attending concerts and recitals, showing excitement and support of the music interest, or perhaps taking classes yourself. These steps, enhanced with parent support, will make sure that youngsters will gain important existence skills as well as an appreciation of music.


|Institution:||University of Colorado at Denver|
|Keywords:||Mathematics education; Elementary education|
|Full text PDF:||http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10112620|
This study explored the impact of numbers used in instructional tasks on the construction and generalization of multiplicative reasoning by fourth grade students designated as having learning difficulties or disabilities in mathematics (SLDs). In particular, this study addressed the following research questions: (1) In what ways do SLDs’ conception of number as a composite unit afford or constrain transition to multiplicative reasoning? (2) Which specific numbers, used in instructional and/or assessment tasks, may support or interfere with SLDs’ progression from additive reasoning to multiplicative Double Counting (mDC)? Results suggested that in early participatory stages, using numbers with multiples familiar to the students, such as 2 and 5, promoted multiplicative solution paths (e.g., counting by fives while simultaneously keeping track of how many fives they have counted). This use of familiar numbers allowed for students’ reflection on their multiplicative thinking. Introduction of more difficult numbers—any number for which the child was yet to master multiples—tended to limit the multiplicative thinking and move students back to more known (additive) solution paths. In later participatory stages, the introduction of more difficult numbers promoted the progression within mDC.


International Preschool, International Kindergarten
Our Early Years Programme offers a rich, challenging and stimulating curriculum designed to generate an enthusiasm for learning and value it as a life-long process.
The Early Years Programme is founded on the belief that all children are naturally curious and disposed to learning. They are creative, imaginative, energetic and resourceful. The focus of the curriculum aims to capitalise on these natural dispositions by providing meaningful, authentic activities in which children can become absorbed, committed and successful.
Our youngest children are a fundamental part of our community and make a significant contribution to the educational experience of our schools. The identity of our Early Years Department is constructed around the three pillars of children, parents and teachers.
We consider the child to be a bearer of rights who is a protagonist of their own learning experience and who must be supported by the teaching staff to fulfil their potential for this important stage in their life while also preparing them for the challenges of the three programmes of the International Baccalaureate and beyond.
As an international school our ethos is one of tolerance, respect and international mindedness and we believe that diversity enriches our community.
Children learn by building relationships with their surrounding environment and our classrooms and outdoor spaces are designed to support this. The carefully planned and stimulating physical environment encourages both autonomy and collaboration between children. Children are given time and space to explore natural and open-ended materials that are carefully chosen by the teachers to support the development of transdisciplinary inquiry based projects.
Please fill in our contact form or call +39 02 872581.
As an integral part of the IB Primary Years Programme our Early Years curriculum takes a transdisciplinary approach to learning and is inspired by the philosophy and practice of the world renowned Reggio Approach to Early Years Education.
Within a carefully planned curriculum, children are given the time to explore concepts and construct theories together with teachers in a small group context. Our children are encouraged to:
(1) Explore and elaborate their understanding through all their expressive, creative verbal and mathematical languages.
(2) Construct understanding by making connections between mathematics, logic, science, digital technology, and the expressive arts.
(3) Construct relationships within a full immersion English Language context that gives value to each child’s own unique cultural identity.
Literacy and numeracy form an important part of the Early Years curriculum and children are exposed to the written word and number in many different ways within a stimulating text rich environment.
Children are encouraged to explore literacy and numeracy skills through different imaginative and symbolic play contexts and through dedicated writing areas and activities in each classroom.
As children progress through the Early Years setting teachers support and develop these skills through direct teaching in small groups to ensure acquisition of the literacy and numeracy skills required for the Elementary School.
The flexibility in thinking involved encourages not only the development of proficient language skills but also the creative and lateral thinking skills necessary for success in the 21st century.
Children are exposed to the English language in its written form throughout the Early Years setting within imaginative and symbolic play contexts and teacher led activities. As the child progresses through the Early Years setting this is supported and developed directly by the teacher to ensure the gradual acquisition of literacy skills needed as they move onto primary school.


Did you know…
Babies like to read and write too? Developmentally, we know this is not possible, or appropriate, but the interactions an infant has with books, listening to lullabies and with other’s voices, are the building blocks for language and literacy development.
How do we know this?
Early childhood experts, like those who contribute to Zero to Three, state that by letting literacy skills “naturally unfold” through the enjoyment of books and positive interactions with adults, infants will have a richer literary experience.
What can infants do?
Infants like to:
- Chew on soft, cloth or vinyl books
- Turn pages of stiff, chunky board books
- Gaze and laugh at large, brightly colored pictures
- Listen to animal sounds, rhythms and repetition
- Imitate an action seen in a picture
- Babble to imitate reading
- Run fingers along printed words and different textures
How can I help?
Build skills through interactions!
- Describe what you are doing to connect actions to words
- Chat while preparing meals and during routine activities, like changing a diaper or washing hands
- Imitate coos and babbles
- Speak slowly to children to help them identify sounds
- Speak face to face when talking to infants as they can match shapes to sounds
- Avoid baby talk - the more complex sentences children hear, they will be able to speak and mimic the same
- Limit screen time
- Sing the alphabet song so the child learns the letters
- Sing nursery rhymes so children hear different sounds in the words
- Clap along to the rhythm so children hear the syllables
- Read together with the children to help increase vocabulary and understand how books and print are put together (read right to left, top to bottom, space between words, etc.)
- Provide opportunities to read every day
- Describe colors, items and shapes
- Point to familiar items in pictures and say item name
- Have books accessible and within reach
- Plan unstructured play times
- Use puppets or stuffed animals to tell a story
- Model gestures along with the word; encourage to imitate
- Make books about the infant
Where can I find more information?
Zero to Three - https://www.zerotothree.org/early-learning/early-literacy
Iowa Early Learning Standards: Area 6: Communication, Language and Literacy http://www.iowaaeyc.org/IELS%203rd%20edition%20Section%202.pdf
National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/support-language-development-infants-and-toddlers
Information in blog referenced from Early Literacy, www.zerotothree.org/BrainWonders (2003)