Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---February 2006 Edition--- (current subscribers: 16,491)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
News and updates to http://brains.org and Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum (tm) Site for Educators: http://help4teachers.com

~~The NO-MEMBERSHIP-REQUIRED website ~~
Newsletter subscription available at: http://help4teachers.com/newsletter.htm
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SECTION ONE: Teaching Tips -
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Teacher Tip # 1. Use those free AOL metal boxes to store crayons - they
will perfectly fit 16 crayons. Kathy Smith, Rockford, IL

Teacher Tip #2: At the end of each day I have my students say an apology
or an appreciation to another student or teacher. Sara Sarensen,
Wheatland, WY.

Teacher Tip #3: At the end of a unit on meiosis I gave students the
task of constructing a model of the all the steps using yarn for cell
outlines and smaller, color-coded pieces of yarn to represent chromosomes
all glued onto poster board. I went around the room as they worked and
asked each one questions. This served as their test. Students loved it
and it served as a terrific presentation to hang in the hall.
Dorothy Imm, 8th grade, St. Mary's School, Sycamore, IL.

Send your favorite teaching tip to me at Kathie@brains.org

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SECTION TWO: Hot Topics
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HOT TOPIC #1: Most of us know that January is one of the peak
months for Seasonal Affective Depression (SAD) due to light
shortage. Currently, the most effective treatment for SAD seems
to be spending 30 minutes in front of a 10,000 lux diffused white
fluorescent light in the morning. But some new research is
showing that this "light therapy" may actually be a very
effective treatment for other types of depression as well. In fact
some research indicates it may be as effective as drug therapy in
many people. Golden, R. et al (2005). Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol 162(4), 656-662.

HOT TOPIC #2: Preschool teachers and parents take note:
Adding more numbers to your vocabulary when speaking to
preschoolers helps boost their math skills. Researchers at
the University of Chicago found that when teachers of 3-5 year
olds used more numbers in their everyday conversations and
instruction, their students' math skills improved. Simple things
like, "This group of 3 can line up now" is better than "This
group here can line up now." Klibanoff, R. et al.(2006)
Developmental Psychology, Vol 42(1).

More Hot Topics at the websites!

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SECTION THREE:
Website updates
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***NEW at the Help4Teachers.com****:

NEW Article: What causes struggling reading problems and what can
you do about them? Read the article at:
http://help4teachers.com/JohnnieCanRead.htm

Video Training Kits: A lot of smaller schools were requesting Layered
Curriculum Video training kits for small faculty groups. We were
able to get our distributor to put together several small 10-pak kits
which we are now offering at the website:
http://help4teachers.com/video.htm

***NEW at the Brains.org SHOP: ***

*My new book "Differentiating the High School Classroom" is available.
*We now have new "book bundles" which offer additional discounts on
your favorite topics such as differentiated instruction and the brain.
http://brains.org/store

Layered Curriculum text, workbook and training materials can be found at:
http://help4teachers.com/books.htm

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SECTION FOUR: Kathie's Email
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Kathie - I found your site last year and did some modified Layered
Curriculum units. This year I decided to go all out. I hope to elaborate
and include more technology after I've used this the first time. To start
out though, I used the materials I've already used. I do teach at a
Christian school, so there is biblical integration. Thanks for the help
your website provided. - Bitsy Griffin, Calvary Baptist Day School, W-S, NC.
[You'll find Bitsy's unit at the website: http://help4teachers.com/samples.htm

**************************
Lisa Durff at Broadfording Christian Academy in Hagerstown, MD sent a
Layered Curriculum Reading unit for grades 4/5 which you
can also find at the website. [same link as above]

**************************
Pam Martin, Austin, TX sent a great WWI unit. for high school. It is her
first attempt and a terrific one at that.
Pam's unit will also be posted at http://help4teachers.com/samples.htm

**************************
Kathie,
I attended one of your workshops several years ago and have been very
successful in using your Layered Curriculum idea with my students. I have
shared your work with colleagues and they have also been pleased with
the idea. I'm attaching a unit to share on your website. Thank you.
Debra Meltzer, French and Spanish teacher, Ridgedale M.S., Florham Park, NJ

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And just as this newsletter was about to go out today, I received a
unit on The Outsiders (by S.E. Hinton) submitted by Michaela Mueller,
La Vista Junior High, Nebraska.

**************************
Layered Curriculum Trainer Dr Adrian Sorrell in Houston forwarded
a note he received from UCLA researcher investigating how teachers get
needed information on genetic disabilities that may be represented in
their classrooms. Currently they need help from parents of such children.

[from the email] "Here is where we need your help. We would
appreciate it if you would distribute the attached flyer and recruitment
letter to any parent of a school age child with Down Syndrome,
Pradr-Willi Syndrome, Fragile X, and Williams Syndrome. Copies may
be obtained by calling 310-794-9516 and speaking to me, Tamar Nazerian,
Research Assistant UCLA, at 310-794-9516 or genestudy@mednet.ucla.edu.

**************************
Layered Curriculum Trainer Lisa VonBraun in New Hampshire,
forwarded this : You might want to take a look at the following
Newsweek article, “The Trouble with Boys”, about boys K-12:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10965522/site/newsweek/

*************************
And finally, from Robert Sylwester, Emeritus Professor of Education at
the University of Oregon:
"Thanks much to Bob Valiant for alerting me (and now also you) to a
marvelous essay on the exciting new developments in mirror neurons
by the renowned neuroscientist, V.S. Ramachandran. It was published in
the Internet resource The Edge a couple weeks ago. Ramachandran
wrote a widely acclaimed Edge essay on mirror neurons six years ago,
and so this is a very thoughtprovoking update -- and something that I
expect will be widely discussed. As a bonus, The Edge feature also
provides links to some of the best current resources on mirror neurons."
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/ramachandran06/ramachandran06_index.html

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SECTION FIVE: Workshops/calendar schedule/misc
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Welcome to February. It's certainly been a tame winter thus far here in
the northeast....but no one is complaining - except maybe the ski areas.

I'm looking forward to speaking at the Links to Learning Conference in Toronto
later this month and then will be spending 2 days in Boise, Idaho with teachers
from the CCBD organization.

New workshops are in the planning for Waterford Wisconsin; Joliet, Illinois,
and Abbottsford, British Columbia.

In the meantime, I hope to hear from some of you. We could use some new
teaching tips for the next issue, and of course Layered Curriculum units are
always welcome.

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

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 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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Dr Kathie F Nunley
http://help4teachers.com
http://brains.org
Layered Curriculum. . . because every child deserves a special education. (tm)
Brains.org SHOP
54 Ponemah Rd
Amherst NH 03031
fax: 208-979-0678
ph: 603-249-9521
- posted by Kathie @ 6:05 PM