Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---Mid - March 2006 Edition--- (current subscribers: 16,826)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
Unsubscribe & email change information link at the bottom of this newsletter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION ONE: Teaching Tips -
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teacher Tip # 1:Lays Stax Potato Chips plastic containers are excellent
storage containers for classroom sets of red pens. I also use the containers
instead of plastic bags for activities. Use WD-40 and paper towels to
remove the labels. Meredith Krebs, Howell, MI.

Teacher Tip #2: At the beginning of the year, teach and model how to listen
with "eyes, ears, brain, and body". It sets up your students to listen respectfully
to their peers, their teacher and any guest who may be in the room.
Throughout the year, if listening skills begin to wane, all you have to do is
say, "eyes, ears, brain, and body". Jeff Wallowitz, Griswold School, Berlin, CT

Teacher Tip #3: I teach mostly 11th graders. This time of year, I bring in college
catalogs, college course schedule samples and sample registration forms.
We spend a few days learning how to read a catalog, how to decide what courses
are required for what major, how a clock hour is different than a credit hour, etc.
Because so many of my student come from families with little, if any, college
experience, I find this really helps them in understanding where to even begin
with college. Deetta Bird, Granger HS. W. Valley City, UT.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION TWO: Hot Topics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOT TOPIC #1: Neurotrophins are a group of growth factors responsible for
neuron growth and development. Some researchers are linking 3 of them,
NGF, BDNF and NT-3 with the development of schizophrenia. If dysfunctional,
these 3 could play a crucial role in the neurodevelopmental problems that
lead to schizophrenia. Shoval, F. & Weizman, A. (2005). European
Neuropsychopharmacology, Vol 15(3), 319-329.

HOT TOPIC #2: The average elementary school child in the US watches 28
hours of television a week and will witness over 8,000 murders before they
finish elementary school. Wow! Psychologists and the American
Psychological Association are becoming concerned over the resulting
"desensitization to violence" and have concluded that this bombardment
of violence does lead to an increase in aggression in children. You can
read their recent article at:
http://www.psychologymatters.org/mediaviolence.html

More Hot Topics at the websites!

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

NEW LAYERED CURRICULUM UNITS posted in February:
~Bound for Oregon (Gr. 6) , Debbie Anne B. Barretto
~ The Well of Sacrifice (Gr. 7) , Debbie Anne B. Barretto
~ Seven Daughters and Seven Sons (Gr. 8), Debbie Anne B. Barretto

You can view these and all our LC sample units at:
http://help4teachers.com/samples.htm

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

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

~"Differentiating the High School Classroom"
~Monty Selby Music CD's for Educators
~ Brain-Based Learning Book Bundles.
http://brains.org/store

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION FOUR: Kathie's Email
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathie -
How does Layered Curriculum challenge student who are happy with
a "C"? - Becky Hastad, English, Waubun High School

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Becky,
Just remember that "Stopping at the C layer" is never an option for students.
They MUST go on. Layered Curriculum isn't a contract-for-grade method.
- Kathie

==================================================
Kathie,
Regarding your book, "Differentiating the High School Classroom," do you have
any suggestions for differentiating in the Middle school classroom?
Thank you, Gerolynn, SLC, Utah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Gerolynn,
Actually Layered Curriculum has been tremendously successful in the
middle school. In fact, it's probably most popular with that particular group,
judging from the number of units we get for the website. You can get lots
of information on starting it at the help4teachers.com website,
or you can order the text, Layered Curriculum as well. Good luck, Kathie

===================================================
Dear Dr. Nunley
I would like to share with you my success using Layered Curriculum. It
really worked on my Grades 6, 7, & 8 Learning Support kids. I used
Layered Curriculum on them using the novels Jump Ship to Freedom,
The Cinnamon Tree and The Master Puppeteer ( which I sent you).
The books are on grade level, but with a lot of support from me, they were
able to finish reading the novel, and do the work. They liked having the
opportunity to choose what way they could show their learning. The students
were able to use their strengths and they did really well. Most of my students
aced this unit. My students felt really proud that they were reading grade
level books, and that when they go back to their regular ed class, they were
the ones encouraging the regular ed students to read the books.
One of my co-teachers borrowed my Layered Curriculum to use with a
gifted student.

Layered Curriculum was really a success in my classes. I presented it to
our staff and some teachers are starting doing some Layered Curriculum
in their classes. Our school's program facilitator was so happy with the
results of my Layered Curriculum. Reading scores were up, as documented
by DIBELS, as compared to what we were using before. She told me I don't
have to use our old Reading Program anymore, since I am getting more
results with the Layered Curriculum. I made three new Layered Curriculum
lessons for 3 novels: Bound for Oregon (Gr. 6) , The Well of Sacrifice (Gr. 7)
and Seven Daughters and Seven Sons (Gr. 8).
Have a good day.
In the Service of Children, Debbie Anne B. Barretto, Hershey, PA
===================================================

Debbie, Thanks so much for staying in touch and sharing how well things are going
for you. And of course, thanks for the additional units. David should be getting
those posted this week at the website. We'll be anxious to hear more from you.
- Kathie'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION FIVE: Workshops/calendar schedule/misc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings on this Ides of March. I hope that spring is in the air wherever you
are and I know excitement starts to build on all fronts about now as we
start counting down to things like, end-of-the-year testing, AP exams,
graduation and summer break.

We've just come back from our winter break here in the northeast. Three of
my children took me to Disneyland for that event, where my daughter was
able to celebrate her 18th birthday in Goofy's Kitchen. We're back to reality
now though and blustery New England. I'm looking forward to a trip back
to Chicago next week to work with the teachers and administrators at
Thorton Fractional Cooperative. Shortly after than, I'll be in Columbus, Ohio
for two days with the teachers at Columbus Public Schools.

If you are looking to join us somewhere, you'll find my calendar posted at:
http://help4teachers.com/calendar.htm

My conference & workshop calendar is now open through June 2007 and
I've updated the information and frequently asked questions page regarding
workshops and presentations at: http://help4teachers.com/workshops.htm
Just email me if you need to check a date for your conference or district PD day.

As always, my best to you and yours,
and finally, may I offer a bit of the Luck of the Irish to you this week as well,

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
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> You are receiving this newsletter because you requested to be on my
> mailing list by entering your email address at one of the two websites.
> I NEVER share or sell my newsletter list, nor is it used for any other
> purpose other than this bi-monthly newsletter. Should you need to be
> removed from the list, or need to CHANGE your email address, you
> can do so by simply clicking this link:
> http://go.listdeliver.com:81/guest/RemoteListSummary/nunley
- posted by Kathie @ 4:56 PM