Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---April 2004 Edition--- (current subscribers: 11,752)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
News and updates to http://brains.org and Kathie
Nunley's Layered Curriculum (tm) Site for Educators:
http://help4teachers.com
Subscription available at: http://help4teachers.com/newsletter.htm
Unsubscribe information/link at the bottom of this newsletter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION ONE: Teaching Tips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teaching Tip #1: Whenever I plan a unit or add something
new to a unit, I write the resources used on the outside of a labeled file
folder. In that way each time the unit is taught I easily locate the
books, videos, websites, or other resources used and where I
found them. -- Janice Carnes

Tip #2: An end of the day project in our classroom is called Talk
to the Expert. A student may sign up to be the expert on a chart that
lists the name and topic. They start by making a two sentence
statement about their topic. The students listening may ask questions
and are awarded discussion points on good questioning skills. They
receive 0 points for repeat questions, and one point for short answer
responses, 2 points for lengthier responses due to good questions like Why
and How questions, and 3 points for exemplary questions. Students love
being the expert and it helps the other students create higher level questions.
-- Rose Regan, 5th Grade, Pine Bend Elementary, Minnesota

Tip #3: When I run out of time to meet with students to discuss
Layered Curriculum assignments, I ask them to write a paragraph
explaining what they learn and convince me that they have
learned enough today to earn their points.
-- Danny Jellema, Prince of Wales, Peterborough, Ontario.

Send your favorite teaching tip to:
kathie@brains.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION TWO: Hot Topics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOT TOPIC #1: Children have pretty good memories when it comes
to content information, but "source" memories are poor compared to
adults. Researchers in New York measured brain electrical activity in
both children and adults as they retrieved various information from their
memory system. Because the frontal lobes structures in children's brains
are immature, they have great difficulty remembering the source of
knowledge, especially if the sources are very similar. Source memory
improves with age. The researchers advise caution when using children
as reliable witnesses. Cycowicz, Y. et al. (2003). Journal of Cognitive
Neuroscience, Vol 15(5), 759-768.

HOT TOPIC #2: Looking for more support for musical training and
music education with children? Researchers in China have recently
released a study tracking children with and without music training.
Those children with music training had significant improvements in
verbal memory. One group of children stared with music training but
then discontinued for a year and their verbal memory was much less
than those children who had continued music training. Visual memories
show no such changes with music. Apparently music training makes
significant modifications to neurons in the left temporal lobe in children
which affects memory processing. Ho, Y. et al (2003). Neuropsychology,
Vol 17(3), 439-450.

HOT TOPIC #3: Certain reading problems have often been blamed on
dysfunction in the right occipital lobe which is designed for
visual priming - or implicit memory of past visual experience with
words (sight words). However a study at UC Davis indicates
that in fact both hemispheres may be responsible. What they found is
that problems with word-fragment completion involves both hemispheres
whereas word stem completion is fairly isolated to the right
occipital lobe. Kroll, N et al. (2003). Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,
Vol 15(60< 833- 842.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION THREE: Website Updates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**** New Units on the website
16 new units on the website this month!!!
Brenda Blanco in Idaho sent NINE Spanish units.
Scott Wilson has submitted another unit for Chemistry.
Marilyn Washington has submitted 3 more units for
Physical Science, Math and Literature middle school
Babe Willey in Ohio has 3 Science units - biodiversity, food
and land use.
http://help4teachers.com/samples.htm

****Layered Curriculum Teachers needed as Trainers :
The deadline for this month's trainers week-end has past,
but the next session is tentatively scheduled for the week-end
of September 24 - 26 in Amherst, New Hampshire. Details soon.

**** Books:
~~The "Layered Curriculum" text and workbook as well as my newest
book "A Student's Brain: The Parent/Teacher Manual" are all
available at a discounted price from the website. Orders are generally
shipped within 2 business days. Bulk and re-sellers discounts available.
http://help4teachers.com/books.htm

**** Newsletter now posted on-line too.
Due to the increased use of email filters, many of you have asked for
an alternate way to view this newsletter. I now post every issue of
the newsletter the day it goes out, on-line at:
http://www.nunley.blogspot.com/
Bookmark the page so that if you ever have problems receiving the
newsletter via email, you can read it online.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION FOUR: Kathie's Email
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathie -
I was very interested by hearing you explain your Layered Curriculum
in Greensboro this week. I have decided to slowly implement it into
my high school earth science classes. I was wondering if you had
students working independently or did you allow a lot of group work?
Jody P.

====================================
Hi Jody,
Yes, I absolutely support group work. Sometimes it's required,
sometimes, optional (and sometimes not allowed). Groups and
cooperative learning situations are terrific. However, even in
group work, students are assessed independently.
Good luck to you and let me know how it goes. -Kathie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathie, I came across your lesson for Bacteria & Their Viruses
and found some great ideas! My question: What exactly is a "cootie
catcher"? Sounds like a fabulously fun activity! Thanks. Suzanne

====================================
Suzanne, I've heard them called a variety of names, but let me try
to describe them: They are made of paper. You fold the 4 corners in,
flip it over and fold the 4 corners in. Then you hold it between 2 fingers
on either hand and it becomes this "4 pyramid" sort of child's games. Do
you remember them? When I was a little girl we used them to tell
someone's fortune. I hope you can figure out what I'm talking about.
If not, ask your students. They may be able to show you one. :>)
We use them for vocabulary. The words go on the outside, definitions on the
inside. Kathie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION FIVE: Workshops/calendar schedule/misc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy April! Today is exciting for me in more ways than one.
First, I'm home after a long March on the road. Secondly, today
my oldest son Keegan turns 20! (Wow - Where DOES the time go?)
and lastly, I'm writing to you today surrounded by water. Yes, we've
flooded here in New England and I'm stranded in my farmhouse for
the day. Not a bad place to be stranded - the schools are all closed,
the road in front of my house is closed, so it's quite peaceful and nice
here, really.

Assuming the water recedes by Sunday, I should be off to Miami for
a Layered Curriculum presentation at South Miami Elementary on Monday.
From there I head to the Pittsburgh area for 2 parent presentations.

As many of you have discovered, my 2004 calendar filled in record time
this year!! All that remains are July 16 and August 13 if either of those
work for anyone. However, due to demand, I've opened my 2005 calendar
and posted availability on line for the first half of that year. Let me know
if you need me to hold something for you.

If you have to have a workshop this year, don't forget to check with our
new trainers. Many of them are already pretty experienced in giving
workshops and love to travel and work with schools. You can see
an overview on our "Educators who've turned into Trainers" at:
http://www.help4teachers.com/trainers.htm

New workshops are now in the planning stages for Olean New York,
Grove City, Pennsylvania, Asheville, North Carolina, Lancaster
Pennsylvania, Pinckney Michigan, and Deep River, Connecticut.
You can see my entire calendar at:
http://help4teachers.com/calendar.htm

====================================
As always, my best to you and yours.
Kathie

Dr. Kathie F. Nunley
http://help4teachers.com
http://brains.org
Layered Curriculum (tm) - because every student deserves a special education (tm)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Workshop information is available at the website
http://help4teachers.com/workshops.htm
or
call: 603-249-9521
email: kathie@brains.org
Brains.org and Help4Teachers is located at:
54 Ponemah Road
Amherst, NH 03031
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are receiving this newsletter because you
requested to be on my mailing list. I never release
email addresses from my list to anyone. Should you need
to be removed from the list, simply click this link:
http://go.listdeliver.com:81/guest/RemoteListSummary/nunley
- posted by Kathie @ 7:55 AM