Childhood Education articles from June 2005

Childhood Education archives from June 2005

Meeting the challenge of high-stakes testing while remaining child-centered: the representations of two urban teachers.(the transformation of content to increase students' understanding)
June 22, 2005... It is incumbent upon the education research community to shed light on ways that some teachers have facilitated the success of low-income students of color on high-stakes state assessments, while remaining child-centered. Current education...

Merging literacies: a case study.
June 22, 2005... Immersing the students in the fine arts--drama, music, dance, and the visual arts--was not a novel idea; what made it unusual was how the teachers used the fine arts as a bridge to the literary components of reading, writing listening, and...

A glimpse into Kibbutz Education.
June 22, 2005... Teachers around the world face similar issues. For example, they worry about how to provide effective instruction, they ask themselves what they can do about inadequate funding for education, they question the efficacy of standardized testing,...

Teaching religious diversity through children's literature.
June 22, 2005... It is the first day of school for 10-year-old Tariffa, a new student from Iran. He seems to adapt well to the morning routine; as the class prepares for lunch, however, he retreats to the back of the room and assumes ruku (the bowing position)....

Call for presentations.
June 22, 2005... April 12-15, 2006 * Hyatt Regency San Antonio on the Riverwalk San Antonio, Texas Embracing a Confluence of Cultures in the Education of Children The Program Committee invites proposals for presentations at the 2006 ACEI Annual...

Relationships: staying connected and making space for possibilities.(President's Message)
June 22, 2005... Dear Colleagues (ACES Family), Like many of you, one of my favorite activities is reading. I enjoy reading books that appear on the New York Times bestsellers' list, as well as books that catch my eye as I browse various bookstores. My...

High-stakes sportsmanship.(From the Executive Director)
June 22, 2005... Last fall, with the new school year well underway, record numbers of young athletes from high schools and children's sports programs throughout the Washington, D.C., area and elsewhere were enjoying their favorite sport. Sport participation for...

ACEI elects new executive board members.
June 22, 2005... Michael Kelley, Vice President Representing Infancy/Early Childhood (2005-08) Michael Kelley, Chair, Department of Elementary Education, College of Education, Arizona State University West, has been elected as ACEI's Vice President...

Vice president's reflections.(Vice President's Vista)
June 22, 2005... It has been an honor for me to serve as Vice President Representing Infancy/Early Childhood for the 2002-2005 term. I am very grateful for the opportunity to assist this organization in addressing some of the many issues facing early childhood...

A tale of two cities.(International/Intercultural)
June 22, 2005... The year 2004 ended for me with a visit to India. I had the opportunity to conduct two workshops, one in Chennai, formerly known as Madras, and the other in Mumbai, previously Bombay. I share here my observations of the two groups, focusing...

Laura M. Flaxa.(Association for Childhood Education International )(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 22, 2005... Flara Flaxa passed away in Carson City, Neage 97. An active member, she regularly attended California ACEI conferences and ACEI international conferences, where she assisted in every way possible--at the registration desk, handing out lunch...

Creating an interest in learning science.(Classroom Idea-Sparkers)
June 22, 2005... This Idea-Sparker was submitted by Dorothy L. Haggerty, Associate Professor of Professional Practice, University of New Orleans. Setting the Bait Too often, students are bored with science. Irrelevant facts, numerous definitions, and...

Why volunteer with ACEI?(Program Exchange)(Association for Childhood Education International)
June 22, 2005... This month, I decided to focus on a general need that many volunteer organizations face: how to attract more volunteers. All nonprofit and professional organizations exist due to volunteer efforts, and my personal experience indicates there is...

Who doesn't like a party?(Student Slant)
June 22, 2005... List this under "Things they didn't teach us in education school." When preservice teachers leave a particular university, they are usually well-versed in writing lesson plans (especially Madeline Hunter lesson plans), understanding standards...

2005 student branch advisers, thank you!(Memberandum)
June 22, 2005... We are happy to announce the formation of three new ACEI Branches: Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Texas College, and the University of Southern Mississippi. Tunde Szecsi and Carolyn Spillman are serving as advisers for FGCU ACEI Eagles...

Creating a buzz about education.(Public Relations)(Calendar)
June 22, 2005... In 1998, a colleague of mine sent me the following quote: "The [nonprofit] sector enhances our creativity, enlivens our communities, nurtures individual responsibility, stirs life at the grassroots, and reminds us that we were born free'--John...

MsACEI-Southern Miss branch.(BRANCHES IN ACTION)(Mississippi Association for Childhood Education International--Southern Mississippi)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2005... The Mississippi Association for Childhood Education International--Southern Mississippi (MsACEI-Southern Miss) Branch was accepted as an official ACEI Branch on November 1, 2004. The Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education...

Carol Seefeldt.(Association for Childhood Education International )(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 22, 2005... We are saddened by the loss of Carol Seefeldt, a long-time member of ACEI. Seefeldt passed away on January 5, 2005. A former elementary school teacher, Seefeldt was a professor of human development at the University of Maryland Institute of...

Marie A. Kurle Toaspern.(Association for Childhood Education International)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 22, 2005... Marie A. Kurle Toaspern, a member of ACEI since 1943, passed away on December 21, 2004. She taught 2nd grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade, but primarily was a kindergarten teacher. Having helped with the kindergarten Sunday school at a local...

Move into learning.(Branches In Action)
June 22, 2005... "Move Into Learning" were the buzz words on September 18, 2004, when more than 300 early childhood educators joined together at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, for the West Tennessee ACEI 2004 Fall Conference. Attendees arrived bright...

Gender bias in the classroom: current controversies and implications for teachers.
June 22, 2005... Teacher must learn to recognize and eliminate gender bias, because it can limit students' ambitions and accomplishments. Children develop their own ideas about gender at an early age, as evidenced by the clothes they wear, their dramatic...

It's not easy being green--adaptation is our theme: inquiry teaching in the middle-level science classroom.(inquiry based learning)
June 22, 2005... Most people's natural curiosity will, when faced with a new phenomenon, stimulate them to seek answers through multiple avenues of exploration. You're walking along the beach by the light of a beautiful, full moon, only to come upon a...

Spelling development research necessitates replacement of weekly word list.(Teaching strategies)
June 22, 2005... Over the last 30 years, much has been learned about how children develop as spellers. During that time, the literary confidence of many kindergarten, 1st-, and 2nd-grade children has been damaged by insisting they use conventional spelling...

Are we addressing the digital divide? Issues, access, and real commitment.(Issues in Education)
June 22, 2005... Not long ago, I remember the joy in my 3rd-grader's voice as he looked ahead to the benefits of getting a laptop for 4th grade. He waited with much anticipation for the school-wide "Open the Box" party and listened attentively as the teachers...

Standardized tests: a teacher's perspective.(For Parents Particularly)
June 22, 2005... Rebecca Stahlman Rebecca Stahlman is a National Board Certified Teacher and Instructor, Arizona State University. Each year as the end of school draws to a close, among the many items you find in your child's backpack are his/her test...

Arden, Carolyn: Goose Moon.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Arden, Carolyn GOOSE MOON. Il. by Jim Postier. ISBN 1-59078-040-X. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2004.32 pp. $15.95. A girl excitedly and vividly explains everything she loves about winter, including hot cocoa, tobogganing, frost, and snow....

Cohn, Diana: Mr. Goethe's Garden.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Cohn, Diana MR. GOETHE'S GARDEN. Il. by Paul Mirocha. ISBN 0-88010-521-6. Herndon, VA: Bell Pond Books, 2003. 32 pp. $26.95. This picture book introduces young readers to the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe through the fictional tale of Anna,...

Fleming, Candace: Gator Gumbo: A Spicy Hot.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Fleming, Candace GATOR GUMBO: A Spicy Hot Tale. Il. by Sally Lambert. ISBN 037438050-3. New York: Melanie Kroupa Books, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004. 30 pp. $16.00. Monsieur Gator lives in the bayou and is so old that he has trouble catching his...

Hulme, Joy: Climbing the Rainbow.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Hulme, Joy CLIMBING THE RAINBOW. Il. by Jason Holley. ISBN 0-380-81572-9. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. 224 pp. $15.99. Ten-year-old Dora Cookson lives on a farm in New Mexico with her parents and siblings. Speech problems have kept her out of...

Kadohata, Cynthia: Kira-Kira.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Kadohata, Cynthia KIRA-KIRA. Il. by Ann Sullivan. ISBN 0-689-85639-3. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2004. Unp. $24.95. Katie Takeshima and her sister Lynn are Japanese immigrants in a town that barely tolerates...

Kositsky, Lynne: The Thought of High Windows.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Kositsky, Lynne THE THOUGHT OF HIGH WINDOWS. Il. by Lorraine Parow. ISBN 1-55337-621-8. Tonawanda, NY: Kids Can Press, 2004. Unp. $16.95. This tale centers around a group of Jewish children, particularly focusing on Esther and Walter. The...

Lawlor, Laurie: The School at Crooked Creek.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Lawlor, Laurie THE SCHOOL AT CROOKED CREEK. Il. by Ronald Himler. ISBN 0-8234-1812-X. New York: Holiday House, 2004. 72 pp. $15.95. This short novel tells the story of Beansie and his first experience with school. Set in the early 1800s, when...

Lowry, Brigid: Follow the Blue.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Lowry, Brigid FOLLOW THE BLUE. Il. by Verity Prideaux and Terence Brogue. ISBN 08234-1827-8. New York: Holiday House, 2004. Unp. $16.95. Chaos ensues when Bec's father has a breakdown and her parents decide to promote mom's new cookbook and so...

Moses, Sheila: The Legend of Buddy Bush.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Moses, Sheila THE LEGEND OF BUDDY BUSH. ISBN 0-6898-5839-6. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004. 224 pp. $15.95. The Legend of Buddy Bush plays with your emotions. One minute you're seething with anger at the way blacks were treated; the next,...

Rathmann, Peggy: The Day the Babies Crawled Away.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Rathmann, Peggy THE DAY THE BABIES CRAWLED AWAY. Il. by author. ISBN 0399-23196-X. New York: Putnam, 2004. 32pp. $16.99. Mesmerizing, lilting rhyming language and startling black silhouettes, imposed on sunset-colored background, combine to...

Spinelli, Eileen: What do Angels Wear?(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Spinelli, Eileen WHAT DO ANGELS WEAR? Il. by Emily Arnold McCully. ISBN 0-06-028886-8. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. 32 pp. $15.99 US/$23.99 CAN. This heart-warming story shares the dialogue between a mother and her daughter as the daughter is...

Wynne Jones, Diana: Wild Robert.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Wynne Jones, Diana WILD ROBERT. Il. Mark Zug. ISBN 0-06-055530-0. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2003. 112 pp. $15.99. Set in an English castle operated by the British National Trust, the details of this story, which was first published in Great...

Grammar instruction and technology.(Technology in the Classroom)
June 22, 2005... Much of the research literature from the past 25 years has supported the importance of teaching grammar in the context of writing instruction (Calkins, 1980; DiStefano & Killion, 1984; Weaver, 1996,1998). Unlike other content areas, practice...

Unfulfilled Promise: Ensuring High Quality Teachers for Our Nation's Schools.(Special Publications)(report)
June 22, 2005... UNFULFILLED PROMISE: Ensuring High Quality Teachers for Our Nation's Schools. The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality, 2004. 22 pages. The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality (SECTQ) has quickly established itself as a national leader on...

State of the World's Children 2005: Childhood Under Threat.(Special Publications)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2005... STATE OF THE WORLD'S CHILDREN 2005: Childhood Under Threat. United Nations International Children "s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 2004. 160 pages. In this annual report on the state of the world's children, UNICEF warns that children are losing...

Early Childhood Educators and Child Abuse Prevention: NAEYC's Perspective, Research Findings, and Future Actions. Maril Olson and Marilou Hyson.(Special Publications)(National Association for the Education of Young Children)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2005... EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS AND CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION: NAEYC's Perspective, Research Findings, and Future Actions. Maril Olson and Marilou Hyson. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2003. 18 pages. This report summarizes...

Children, Power and Schooling: How Childhood Is Structured in the Primary School.(Special Publications)(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... CHILDREN, POWER AND SCHOOLING: How Childhood Is Structured in the Primary School. ISBN 1-85856-271-6. Dympna Devine. Stroke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England: Trentham Books Limited, 2003. The set-up of schools inherently puts adults in a...

Exceptional Returns: Economic, Fiscal, and Social Benefits of Investment in Early Childhood Development.(Special Publications)(report)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... EXCEPTIONAL RETURNS: Economic, Fiscal, and Social Benefits of Investment in Early Childhood Development. Robert G. Lynch. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute, 2004. ISBN 1-932066-15-2. This report demonstrates the returns ($3 for every...

Quality Pre-Kindergarten for All: State Legislative Report.(Special Publications)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2005... QUALITY PRE-KINDERGARTEN FOR ALL: State Legislative Report. Washington, DC: The Trust for Early Education, 2004. This report was developed by the Trust for Early Education, which is supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts and other fundraisers...