Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---May 2004 Edition--- (current subscribers: 11,979)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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: When using Layered Curriculum on a "traditional"
50 minute period, I lecture pretty heavily for the first 2 or 3 days before
we get into the C layer options. If I let them start into the choices too
soon they are frustrated as they don't have the background knowledge
they need. Kyla Dufrene, 8th grade, Waxahachie, TX.

Tip #2: I use an old deck of playing cards and put the names of the
students on each card. When it is time for student discussion, I
shuffle the deck and turn over the cards one at a time. I have one
deck for each class period. Great way to use partial decks of cards.
Carol Wehmeyer, Flinn MS, Rockford, IL.

Tip #3:I have a hanging file box in my room with files numbered 1 - 20.
Any worksheets or other information students need for a particular
Layered Curriculum assignment can be found in there while we work on
the unit. For example if C layer # 7 is a worksheet, it can be found in
file #7. Niki Walker, Twin Falls, Idaho

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION TWO: Hot Topics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOT TOPIC #1: Another study has been released supporting processing
difficulties in the left hemisphere in dyslexic children. A researcher used
a finger tapping / line orientation test on 3 groups of adolescents:
good readers/poor spellers (dysgraphia), poor readers/poor spellers
(dyslexia) and good readers/good spellers. When the children tapped
their left-hand during the spatial task, all groups performed similarly.
But during the right hand tapping (which would involve the left hemisphere)
the 2 poor spelling groups had much more interruption of tapping than
the good spellers. The dysgraphia and dyslexia groups did not differ from
each other in the results. The researcher concludes that these conditions
are the result of a left-hemisphere processing limitation which affects
much more than just written language. These children have problems
disembedding and converting spatial patterns (such as spelling patterns)
into a useable temporal form. Mather, D. (2003). Journal of Learning
Disabilities. Vol 36(4), 307-317.

HOT TOPIC #2: Children who watch violence on television are more likely
to be violent as adults. These results hold true for both girls and boys,
without regard to socio-economic class, parental education or intelligence.
The influence is particularly strong when the children identify with a character
and perceive the violent act to be an event that could happen in real life.
The longitudinal study conducted by the University of Michigan shows that
women who watched violent programs (as children) are four times as likely to
have thrown something at a spouse, responded to someone who made them
mad with hitting, choking or punching. Men who had watched violent programs
are 3 times more likely to have shoved, grabbed or hit a spouse, or committed
a violent crime. Huesmann, L. et al (2003). Developmental Psychology.
Vol 39(2), 201- 221

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION THREE: Website Updates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**** New Units on the website
Scott Wilson sent a new unit on Chemical Reactions.
http://help4teachers.com/samples.htm

**** Books:
~~The "Layered Curriculum" text and workbook as well as my
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 just wanted to take a minute after a long hard day to say
thanks! A dear friend of mine attended one of your workshops
and decided to share your info with me. I am a jr high special
education teacher (mostly BD classroom).
I have tried everything I learned in college… I knew about differentiated
education, but was unsure of how to set it up. After checking out
your web site, your simple step-by-step method did the trick.
It took me about seven hour to plan my first Layered Curriculum.
I put a “D” layer with my bare minimum requirements in it for
my boys who never participate. I asked my administrator to set in
on my explanation of your ideas, and he was impressed.
I think yesterday was the first quiet day in my room in months.
My boys couldn’t wait to get started. They each picked their own thing
and got busy. Today wasn’t as serene, but they continued to work and
are all up to the “C” layer. More work than they have completed in weeks…
Again thanks… and just so you know, I planned my second unit and it only
took me about an hour! I think I’ve got it…
I haven’t had a chance to call my friend, but my only question for him will
be ”Why did you wait so long to call me?”
Sincerely, Amymarie C.

====================================
Amymarie, It's email such as yours that keeps me going! Thank
you so much for taking the time to share. Please stay in touch.
I'd love to hear how your "boys" do. -Kathie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathie - (regarding the tip in last month's newsletter
about the superballs) Do you have the chemicals and the
portions needed to make the superballs? It sounds like a great
end of the year activity! Stacy

====================================
Stacy, I've never made them, but I found a recipe for them
on the internet at:
http://www.axel-and-alice.com/proj/chem/chem0003.html
Let me know if they turn out. Kathie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION FIVE: Workshops/calendar schedule/misc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spring has sprung here in New England. It is so beautiful this week
with all the trees budding out and the sun finally warming the earth.
I spent today planting blueberry shrubs, cleaning out the chicken coop
and tossing the baseball with my 7 year old little leaguer. This is life
at it's best.

As the school year starts to wind down I'll be making my way around to
some of the year-end closing teacher work days. This month includes
a couple of trips to Massachusetts, a trip to British Columbia, southeast
Texas and Las Vegas.

As I mentioned in the last issue, my 2004 calendar is now completely
full. However I've updated my on-line calendar so you can see what
2005 dates are currently available. Let me know if I can hold something
for you.
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 @ 5:53 PM