Funding: the state of the art Cultural policy USA In a world mired in economic uncertainty and with cash for the arts disappearing, how do we argue for culture? By András Szántó. Features, Issue 214, June 2010Published online: 08 June 2010 Leading arts figures in the UK, including Tate director Nicholas Serota, National Portrait Gallery director Sandy Nairne and artist Grayson Perry, gather at the British Museum in support of the report "Cultural Capital: a Manifesto for the Future" At a recent public debate about organic food the proponents of organic farming extolled its virtues by listing its various benefits. If you have been following the news about arts funding, you have reason to be concerned. Going, going… In the United States, arts funding has universally contracted. At the federal level, President Obama is asking Congress for $161.3m this year for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Meanwhile, the so-called “new philanthropy” has yet to warm up to the arts. The rhetorical deficit Groping for words Email*
20 Classical Music Names You Are Probably Pronouncing Wrong Everybody wants to be a classical music connoisseur. But when it comes down to it, it's not only difficult to grasp the style and sound of the world's most famous musicians and composers, it's nearly impossibly to pronounce their names. Some are visually daunting (Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, for example) while others are short brain busters that have you second guessing the annunciation of a six-letter word (ahem, Frederic Chopin). So, to help our readers along the daunting path to enlightenment, we've compiled a list of 20 classical music names you are probably pronouncing... wrong. Note: There are, undoubtedly, more ways to pronounce these names. 1. Let's start out with an oldie but a goodie -- the man who brought us "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake." 2. This 19th/20th century master of chromaticism is famous for his version of "Clair de Lune." 3. 4. Oh, Mendelssohn. 5. Goo-STAHF MAH-ler wrote one of the "Symphony No. 5" pieces you adore. 6. This one is relatively easy. 7. 8. 9. 10.
10 Great Apps for Early Childhood Development Education is on shifting ground as technology has made it possible to connect, record and educate children with more and more exciting tools. With so many tools and apps available, it’s hard to know where to begin. Many “educational” apps offer little in the way of education and there are many “entertainment” apps that can be quite educational. So how do you decide which tools are appropriate and can work with your pedogogy? We wanted to know which apps offer a best practice experience so we have asked our Storypark community of teachers, ECE experts, parents and children about their favorite apps. 10 Great Apps for Early Childhood Development Tiny Tap - FreeThis app is a very fun tool that allows you to easily create simple games using photos and drawings. Somantics FreeA beautiful and simple app that allows users the ability to discover and create using rhythmic touch and interaction. Toca Teaparty $1.99Invite your friends to a tea party around your iPad!
Pros and Cons of Our Taxes Funding the Arts | Libertario As a proponent of the free market the following article is not going to yield a slam-dunk case for art subsidies. If the free market fails in its production of art, it doesnt automatically follow that the government must influence the menu of available art by funneling money through an agency such as the NEA. I am a supporter of the arts, but I am not a supporter of government funding the arts. If the NEA did not exist, the government would still be steering vast amounts of money to the arts. A tax preference offers the advantage of not compelling people to finance art that they find objectionable or simply uninteresting. Leaving the choices to people who care deeply about art is appropriate in light of the highly subjective nature of artistic tastes. Like this: Like Loading...
Budget Cuts Affect Music, Arts At Churchill High School, potters’ wheels sit unused inside a dark room. At a number of schools in town, stages are dark because reduced funds have shuttered performing arts programs. And at most of Eugene’s elementary schools, students get music instruction for just a quarter of the year. Participating in art and music classes teaches children to make good judgments, solve problems and celebrate multiple perspectives, advocates say. “We have lost our depth and breadth of what we can offer,” says Lance Eagen, an art teacher at Churchill. Today, 4J has roughly half the art and music teachers it had a decade ago. Nine weeks a year The district decided this year to provide music specialists — as they’ve done with physical education specialists — to each elementary school for nine weeks a year. Before this year, schools were given staffing allocations based on projected enrollment, the needs index and other factors. This year, students get nine weeks of music, as they get nine weeks of PE.
Top 10 Classroom Games - Quizalize Blog Academic studies naturally coincide with rote teaching styles and textbook work. However, it is important to make learning exciting for students with interactive activities. Incorporating fun classroom games into your lesson plan offers a simple way to motivate your students, and encourage them to draw on their creativity and imagination. These top 10 classroom games provide fun ways to engage your students in academic learning, without them even realizing it! 1. This simple but classic game is a great way to encourage your student to get out of their seats and participate in the lesson. Resources: a list of people, actions, or concepts related to the subject you are teaching. Game: Select a student to stand at the front of the room and act out a word from your list (no speaking allowed). 2. A traditional but interactive game that improves students’ spelling and subject knowledge, but is also enjoyable. 3. 4. A quick and simple game that never fails to motivate students in their learning.
Creative Drawing Ideas for Kids :: Drawing Prompts As one way to encourage creative drawing and the continued use of our chalkboard, I occasionally add a drawing prompt and wait for the kids to find it. (And by kids, I mean Maia and possibly any friend she has over. Daphne is yet oblivious to such suggestion.) It almost always results in a thoughtful and unique drawing that veers from the usual drawings that I see them make. Drawing prompts are one of many creative drawing ideas for kids that get them thinking and creating differently. The drawing prompts idea is something I’ve borrowed from Susan Striker’s Anti-Coloring Book series —I had one as a child! (By the way, you can find several printable pages from the Anti-Coloring Books as well as examples of what children have drawn on her website.) What I do is begin a simple drawing on the chalkboard, and add an invitation —in this case, the question, “What is inside this house?” For example, Maia has drawn lots of houses, but always the exterior. Maybe.
Teaching Kids to Move Beyond One-Word Questions “Does anyone have any questions?” It’s the dreaded question of early childhood educators everywhere. This can-of-worms question often leads to non sequitur statements that range from “I like your pants” to long-winded stories that start with “Once my grandma gave me a . . .” To avoid these tangents, teachers can turn the question “Does anyone have any questions?” What’s a Dollar Question? According to an anecdote from my parents, as a young child I would always ask, “Why?” I shared this personal story with my kindergarten students, who were eager to learn how to ask dollar questions themselves. Dollar questions have four main features. Penny questions can, however, be changed into dollar questions. In my kindergarten class, we begin practicing with dollar questions during Feature Creature, an activity where students hone their question-asking skills while working to uncover the identity of a mystery animal. Students’ questions usually begin with rapid-fire versions of “What is it?”
FUN Critical Thinking Activities For Students in Any Subject The experts on STAAR, such as the Texas Education Agency, the Lead4Ward team and Regional Service Centers tell us that there are some very specific things that we need to do, and other things we should let go of in order to prepare our students for the state assessment. In addition, these strategies can also deepen and broaden their knowledge. Allow for more collaboration on rich content between students (student-centered)Provide higher level thinking questionsGive ample wait timeIncrease critical thinking through authentic instructionFollow the DETAILS of your TEKSKnow the vertical alignment of your TEKS and collaborate with other grade levels The following are ideas for activities that you can use in conjunction with our curriculum in order to help meet some of these criteria, as it is necessary to adjust our mindset from TAKS driven packets to STAAR rich conversations and activities. Talking Chips 1. Pair - Square - Share 3 Facts and a Fib 1. 1. Pass and Play
tips and tricks for kindergarten teachers lesson plan ideas You join a special club when you become a kindergarten teacher. There are only a few of us who have what it takes to manage these littlest students who are often still moving in a hundred directions all at once when they arrive in our classrooms. We’ve scoured our WeAreTeachers Helpline and brought together 50 of the very best ideas for kindergarten teachers. 1. “Don't assume they know how to do anything. 2. “Be ready for kids who are readers, kids who have never seen letters, and everything in between. 3. Low maintenance, high fun! 4. One of the most repeated themes on our helpline post about teaching kindergarten was that you should always over-plan for this age group. 5. “Plan lessons/activities that last no more than 15 minutes, with some kind of movement activity in between. 6. “I teach routines, rules, but I also go on some kind of ‘adventure’. 7. 8. 9. “Glue sponges! 10. 11. 12.
Spelling Practice with Dolch Sight Words ABCya is the leader in free educational computer games and mobile apps for kids. The innovation of a grade school teacher, ABCya is an award-winning destination for elementary students that offers hundreds of fun, engaging learning activities. Millions of kids, parents, and teachers visit ABCya.com each month, playing over 1 billion games last year. ABCya’s award-winning Preschool computer games and apps are conceived and realized under the direction of a certified technology education teacher, and have been trusted by parents and teachers for ten years. Our educational games are easy to use and classroom friendly, with a focus on the alphabet, numbers, shapes, storybooks, art, music, holidays and much more! ABCya’s award-winning Kindergarten computer games and apps are conceived and realized under the direction of a certified technology education teacher, and have been trusted by parents and teachers for ten years.
First Grade Garden: Daily 5 and Writer's Workshop {freebies} Alright, I am finally back with some writing ideas and freebies I promised! Be prepared for the longest. post. ever! In February, my teaching partner forced coerced asked me nicely to present a half-day session with her for our divisional P.D. day. 9:15am - Whole Group Literacy Activities Sight Word Work - I have been using Natalie's Daily Sight Words each morning and the kids love them! Read Aloud- I usually read a story by our author of the month or a theme/holiday book. Word Work - We usually do a whole group lesson or indivudual activity involving a phonics skill, word family, poem of the week, emergent reader, etc. 9:50am - First Round of Daily 5/Guided Reading I split my students into 5 centre groups. I have five different centres - Read to Self (from book boxes), Listen to Reading (on mp3 players), Writing (free writing in journals), Computer (we have a subscription to Raz Kids), and Word Work (ten tubs they can choose from... 10:10am - Clean Up and Round Two of Daily 5 1.
62 First Grade Websites That Tie into Classroom Lessons | Ask a Tech Teacher These are my 62 favorite first grade websites. I sprinkle them in throughout the year, adding several each week to the class internet start page, deleting others. I make sure I have 3-4 each week that integrate with classroom lesson plans, 3-4 that deal with technology skills and a few that simply excite students about tech in education. Here’s the list: Do you have any to add? To sign up for Weekend Websites delivered to your email, click Weekend Websites here and leave your email. Follow me Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and author of two technology training books for middle school. Like this: Like Loading...