Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---June 2004 Edition--- (current subscribers: 12,218)
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New 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

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SECTION ONE: Teaching Tips
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Teaching Tip #1: If you're working on Layered Curriculum units over the summer
for next fall, get the parents on-board early on by sending some assignment rubrics
home with the first unit and have the parents grade their child.

Tip #2: [In using Layered Curriculum with my English 11 students] I have found it
helpful to write on the board each day about how many points they should have. This
helps my student have immediate feedback when they look at their unit sheets.
Kathy Plunk, Twin Falls H.S., Idaho.

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

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SECTION TWO: Hot Topics
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HOT TOPIC #1. Stand up, close your eyes, extend your arms out. Now turn in
a circle. Which way did you turn? Chances are if you are right-handed you turned
left and vice versa. Researchers in Switzerland noticed that turning behavior in
animals correlated with hemispheric dopamine asymmetries (DA). Animals tend to turn
toward the side with less DA. Apparently handedness in humans is similar, and
may help explain the strong right handed preference in humans. (on a side note,
other studies have shown that pre-natal stress can cause changes in DA which
can change directional bias in animals and reduce the offspring's ability to handle
stress). Mohr, C. et al. (2003). Behavioral Neuroscience, Vol 117(6), 1448 - 1452.

HOT TOPIC #2. Children with visuospatial learning disability (VLD) often have
problems in arithmetic. Their difficulties stem not from problems with calculations or
arithmetic knowledge, but with the writing component. Researchers in the U.K. studied
arithmetic and calculation ability in children with and without VLD. While both groups
could do oral calculations at similar proficiency, the VLD group showed significant problems
when the operation had to be put in writing. They especially struggled with borrowing and
carrying particularly with subtraction. Venneri, A. et al. (2003). Child Neuropsychology,
Vol 9(3), 175-183.

HOT TOPIC #3: A baby's cry. A laughing infant. Your response to both of these events is
related to 2 factors - your gender and your parenting experience (or lack of). Researchers
at the University of Basel used fMRI scans to view brain reaction to infant crying and laughing.
They compared male and female brains and parent / non parent brains. Their findings:
a region called the anterior cingulate cortex was involved in a women's brain for both infant
laughing and crying in both parent and non parent women. Not so for men. However, men
and women's brains showed increased amygdala / limbic region activity based on parenting
experience. Those who are parents increased this activity to the sound of an infant's cry.
Those who have never been parents increased the activity to the sound of the laugh.
Apparently "maternal behavior" is not limited to Mom. Seifritz, E. et al. (2003).
Biological Psychiatry, Vol 54(12), 1367-1375.

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SECTION THREE: Website Updates
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REMINDER TO ALL: Unscrupulous scammers/spammers are using lots of
people's email addresses (including mine) for the "return address"
on their spam. It is called "spoofing". If you get ANY email from
kathie@brains.org with an attachment, please delete it!!
It is NOT from me. I never send anyone an email with an attachment.
Please be aware that the return address on spam, viruses and worms is generally forged.

**** New units on the website:
Brianne Young in Pinckney Michigan sent a new elementary unit
on Biographies and Kathy Plunk in Idaho sent a unit on the Crucible.
Jody Paramore in North Carolina sent 2 more units in environmental science:
Earth's History and Pollution.
View all the sample units at: 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.

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SECTION FOUR: Kathie's Email
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Hi Kathie,
I plan on starting to use Layered Curriculum for units on nouns, adjectives,
and other parts of speech for my sixth graders, but I am having a hard time
coming up with my A layer. I have looked at the website for ideas, but for whatever
reason (perhaps it just the end of the school year), I just can't seem to get an
activity for the students at that level. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks for your help, Julie B., Phoenix, AZ
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Hi Julie,
Analyzing various versions of speeches, rough drafts of famous or not so famous
works and small group debates and critiques on writing work well for A layer grammar
assignments. What you're trying to do is find an area of debate - something that fits that
topic where research or "experts" could justify more than one view.
Debates are fun with 6th graders....but they have to do the research to back up their point.
Best, Kathie

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Kathie I read your book on Layered Curriculum. I think this is a fabulous idea, and I can't wait
to try it in my classroom next fall. I do have one question. Do you give traditional
tests at the end of one or more units?? I am not attached to this type of testing
personally, but the Archdiocese where I teach likes it. Any advice you could give me
would be greatly appreciated. -Jennifer K.

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Hi Jennifer,
Yes, most teachers use some type of formal testing after each unit or every couple
of units. You can weigh it as heavily as you need to.
Good luck and let me know how it goes, Kathie

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SECTION FIVE: Workshops/calendar schedule/misc
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Happy June! I know many of you are wrapping up the school year this week and
others of you are already out for the summer. Here in the northeast we still have
3 weeks to go! Let me wish all of you though a happy and restful summer.

I've got 2 trips to Texas early this month - Abilene and Amarillo and then will be heading
to my usual summer spot in western New York to spend some serious time
researching life in a hammock under the trees.

I will be taking a break from my holiday in July to speak at the Differentiated Instruction
conference in Las Vegas. I hope to see many of you there.

A lot of people write asking about how to attend a workshop. Check out the calendar page:
http://help4teachers.com/calendar.htm
and see if there is a date and location that works for you. Although my workshops are almost
always sponsored by an individual school or district or regional center, they are usually open
to visitors joining us for the day. If you see something that interests you just email me and
I'll get you the contact information.

My winter/spring 2005 calendar is filling in with new workshops in the planning for North
Carolina, Kansas, Michigan, Louisiana, Ontario and British Columbia. If you would
like to host a workshop at your school or in your region, let me know.

Again, my best to you and yours.
Kathie
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Dr. Kathie F. Nunley
http://help4teachers.com
http://brains.org
Layered Curriculum (tm) - because every student deserves a special education (tm)
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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
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- posted by Kathie @ 8:00 AM