Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---mid-April '07 Edition--- (current subscribers: 18,730)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
News and updates to http://brains.org and Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum(R) Site for Educators: http://help4teachers.com

~~The NO-MEMBERSHIP-REQUIRED website which blends current
psychology research with education.

You can subscribe to this newsletter at: http://help4teachers.com/newsletter.htm
Unsubscribe & EMAIL CHANGE information link at the bottom of this newsletter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION ONE: Teaching Tips -
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teacher Tip # 1: Put your lesson plan on a clip board on your desk or
teaching area so you can refer back to it whenever needed without
having the entire lesson planning book out all the time.
Polly Birkhead, Rider HS, Wichita Falls, TX.

Teacher Tip # 2: In brainstorming activities, write the question/ topic up
top and then draw a large box below in the center of the paper. Students
must keep writing in the box non-stop. When they come across a keeper,
write it below /outside the box. Erick Cross, Petrolia High School, TX.

Teacher Tip # 3: Have students move clothespins from "absent" to
"present" upon entering the classroom first thing in the morning.
Kristi Caldwell, Ringgold, TX.

Send your favorite teaching tip to me at Kathie@brains.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION TWO: Hot Topics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOT TOPIC #1: Some children with dyslexia may find benefit in using
colored overlays and glasses for reading. Researchers at the University
of Melbourne have found that this is due to "attentional gating" problems
that may occur in the primary visual cortex. The processing mechanism
known as the visual magnocellular pathway is designed to perform a
sequential gating of visual information as it comes into the visual cortex
for ordering. Children with impairments in this system may benefit from
the use of colored overlays. Vidyasagar, T. (2005). Perception.
Vol 34(8), 903-911.

HOT TOPIC #2: Some remedial reading programs tout the benefits of
alternating the presentation of words to a child's left and right visual field.
Research out of the Netherlands set up programs in which 2 groups of
children repeatedly practiced reading words presented in either the left
or right visual field, or just to the central visual field. While both groups
improved in speed and accuracy, an improvement the researchers
attributed to simply the reading repetition, the lateral group's improvement
was no better than the central visual field's improvement.
Berends, I. & Reitsma, P.(2005). Journal of Clinical and Experimental
Neuropsychology, Vol 27(7), 886-896.

More Hot Topics at the websites!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION THREE: Website updates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

******** NEW Layered Curriculum® UNITS
Here's what our colleagues around the globe have sent us:

~~I am attaching a unit plan for Summer of My German Soldier by
Bette Green. I love the Layered Curriculum idea! I have shared it with
my co-workers, and we have implemented it into our class assessments.
THANK YOU! God Bless,Tonya Todd 8th Grade, Beebe, Arkansas

~~[9th grade physical science unit] This was my first attempt! : ) I love
the resources on this site. Jennifer Lammers, Peet Jr. HS, Cedar Falls, IA

~~Kathie, I thought I'd offer a couple of Math units I layered, thanks to your
resources. I'm hooked. The students loved the choices, the differentiation.
What was amazing was seeing the kids on IEP's still manage to tackle many
of these tasks without feeling inadequate. I'm also building Science units at
the moment. I'd like to share them as well. Love this concept.
Regards, Michael Mitchell, Gr. 5/6, Hillcrest School, Belleville, ON

~~Here is the Layered Curriculum that I made for the DNA and Protein Synthesis
Unit. Thanks! Allison Bunck, Aurora High School, Aurora, NE

Thanks so much to all of you for sharing your units! - Kathie
VIEW ALL THE SAMPLE UNITS AT: http://help4teachers.com/samples.htm

********************************************************************************
********** The Help4Teachers Bookstore & The BRAINS.ORG SHOP: ************

If you are looking for the Layered Curriculum® text or workbook,
remember you can buy the set discounted at our bookstore:
http://help4teachers.com/books.htm

Don't forget our Layered Curriculum® video training kits are also
available for schools, districts and regional professional development
centers. http://help4teachers.com/video.htm

Our Brains.org shop is a source for the best selling books on
brain-based education, differentiated instruction, parenting, and
educating exceptional students. We also carry colored overlays.
You can order directly online with a credit card at:
http://brains.org/store/index.htm
Or fax your School's Purchase Order to 208-979-0678.
************************************************************************

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION FOUR: Kathie's Email
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Kathie,
I seem to recall that last year you had something in this newsletter about
research showing that so called "zero tolerance" policies are not
effective for changing student behavior. Can you help me find more on this?
Thank you in advance. Calvin P., TX.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Calvin. Thanks for your note. I think you are referring to my summary of
an APA Task Force report presented at last year's APA conference in New Orleans.
Since then the task force has issued a press release on the topic and there's
an article which may be of interest to you too. I know this is currently a hot topic
in light of the current media coverage in your state on the issue. Hope this is
of some help to you. - Kathie
http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct06/tolerance.html
http://www.apa.org/releases/zerotolerance.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECTION FIVE: Workshops/calendar schedule/misc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it spring yet? Is it spring yet? I hear the question daily from my
feathered friends in the trees. However, we're still ankle deep in cold and snow
here in New England with no end in site. Currently we're battening down the
hatches for another storm due here any minute. This makes my trip out this
week so much more exciting. As you're reading this on Monday, I will (hopefully)
be on a plane heading southwest to sunny, warm Nevada. I'm looking forward to
2 days this week with the teachers in the Clark County School District of Las
Vegas. Hopefully, I'll at least get to stand outside in the sunshine during our
lunch break!

We've got new workshops in the planning for Ontario and Illinois. I still have
a couple of open slots on my fall calendar if you need a workshop at your
school this year. My spring 2008 calendar is also now open. If you are just
looking to attend a workshop at another location, I've updated my calendar
to include contact and registration information for any of our currently
scheduled workshops which are open to outside participants. Right now
we have workshops open to outside participants in Chicago, San Antonio,
Paramus, NJ (near NYC), San Juan Capistrano, CA; Miles City, MT;
Midland, MI; Macomb, IL; Toronto; Indianapolis, Montreal, & Polson, MT.
Just check the calendar: http://help4teachers.com/calendar.htm

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

Layered Curriculum® is a trademark developed by and registered
to Dr. Kathie F Nunley. Usage information available at:
http://help4teachers.com/usage.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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://s1.seffylists.com:81/guest/RemoteListSummary/nunley

---

Dr Kathie F Nunley

Layered Curriculum(R) . . . because every child deserves a special education (tm)
Brains.org & Help4Teachers.com
54 Ponemah Rd
Amherst NH 03031
PH 603.249.9521
FX 208.979.0678