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15
years of publication, 17,000+
subscribers
Tuesday,
May 7, 2013
News
and updates to Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum Sites for
Educatiors:
Classroom Tip: Photo Tips from NC
HOT TOPIC: Note-Taking Strategy for Poor Working Memory
Email: Layered
Curriculum - YES!
Quote of the Week, Misc Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
School
/ Teacher Ideas: Two Photo Tips
from Chapel Hill
I
snapped pics of a couple of
good ideas while in Chapel Hill,
North Carolina last week. My
first one is from the parking
lot as I arrived that morning
at McDougle Elementary. Near
the main front door were
the common "reserved parking"
spots for the principal and
vice principal - but the even
better spot was reserved for
the school's "Teacher of
the Year". Great
idea!!
The
second photo tip is a
sign I read outside Ms Freeman's
classroom at the Middle
School. It reads "REMEMBER
This is a learning environment.
You wouldn't go to basketball
practice with a swimsuit on.....awkward!".
HOT
TOPIC: Note-Taking Strategy
for Students with Poor Working
Memory
Do
you have students who struggle
with working memory? You
might want to have them use
a computer to transcribe lectures
while listening to them.
A new study out this month sought
to compare various ways of taking
lecture notes and that relationship
to later testing. In the
first study, the researcher
found the best test scores came
from students who used a computer
for note taking versus those
who hand wrote their notes.
The second portion of the study
compared taking “organized
notes” versus simply attempting
to transcribe the lecture.
Students with good working memory
scored highest on tests after
taking “organized notes”
(and had the greatest quantity
of notes). But students
with poor working memory scored
highest on later testing when
they tried to simply transcribe
the lecture. So their
suggestion is that students
who struggle with working memory
be encouraged to use a note-taking
strategy that transcribes the
lecture using a computer.
Email: Layered Curriculum - YES!
Hey
Kathie,
A
quick note to say THANKS and
let you know I'm continuing
to weave Layered Curriculum
into my curriculum guides.
I was with you for a seminar
about 10+ years ago in Visalia,
CA. I was EXCITED then and
the excitement continues!
I downloaded your latest book to my
Kindle(R) over the weekend. I'll have to look at your website to
see if folks are commenting
on Layered Curriculum and
the NEW...CCSS:-) Thanks
again; keep up the good work!
Sincerely,--
Steve Reynolds
Lead
Teacher/H&H Coordination,
Porterville, CA
=====
Hey
Steve,
Thanks
for the note! Glad you
are excited about teaching and
about Layered Curriculum. Yes,
we are starting to get a lot
of units sent in now that teachers
are implementing the Common
Core - works so well. Stay
in touch. - Kathie
Quote of the Week
“I
had discovered that learning
something, no matter how complex,
wasn't hard when I had a reason
to want to know it.” -
Homer Hickam (Rocket Boys)
Misc Chatter & Workshop News
What
a gorgeous week here in New
England!! - Makes me want to
erect a maypole and dance around
it in celebration of spring.
Truly, it's a beautiful
time of year here. The
forsythia are in full yellow
bloom and cover the land,
with the bright purple rhododendron
bushes providing the landscape
polka-dots! The turkeys
are settling in and the spring
songbirds are at full throttle.
Spring!
As
you can see above, I just returned
from North Carolina where I
spent a terrific morning with
the teachers of McDougle Elementary
in a workshop on "A Student's
Brain". - Thanks
for the welcome! I'm home
now for a few weeks to celebrate
my daughter's wedding (11 days
and counting!).....then I'll
be back out on the road for
summer workshops. I still
have a few August dates open
if anyone is needing something
for the beginning the next school
year. Right now, August
5th and 9th are open and I have
2 slots available for the week
of August 26. So, if you are
looking to host a workshop at your school, just email me for a brochure.
As
always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
Dr
Kathie F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . . because
every child deserves a special
education (tm)
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, simply reply
to this and let me know.
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15 years
of publication, 17,000+ subscribers
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
News and
updates to Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum
Sites for Educatiors:
Classroom Tip: Create a Circle of Safety
HOT TOPIC: Learning Journals Effective Learning Strategy
How to Start Using Layered Curriculum in Your Classroom.
Misc Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
Teaching
Tip: Create a Circle of Safety
A
teacher in Johannesburg, South Africa gives
us the following tip: Create a "Circle
of Safety" in your classroom using
a hoola-hoop on the floor. As needed,
put a student in the hoop until they can
calm down. They are not allowed to
talk with or touch anyone else while in
the circle and no one is allowed to touch
them.
HOT
TOPIC: Learning Journals Effective Learning Strategy
Metacognition, or thinking about your
thinking can be beneficial in the learning
process. According to a recent study in
the Journal of Educational Psychology, researchers
had high school students write learning
journals for math and science classes. The
students were to reflect upon their learning
strategies over the course of several weeks.
Those students who wrote the learning
journals improved their academic performance
when compared to the control group of students
who did not write learning journals.
How to Start Using Layered Curriculum in the Classroom
Nearly
every week I receive email from teachers
asking how best to start using Layered
Curriculum. My best advice is to
start slow! Especially if you are
introducing this in the middle of the
year. Most students are unaccustomed to
functioning in student-centered classroom,
so it's unfair to ask them to just jump
in and expect them to make good decisions.
So,
start with the game plan you currently
use and then start adding pieces. The
easiest first piece is student choice.
Since most of us start a teaching
unit with some type of whole class instruction,
followed by student work, it's easy to
add a choice to the student work. For
example, lets say you usually introduce
a topic with a brief lecture, followed
by student practice homework. Introduce
the topic with the same brief lecture,
but offer the students two different choice
or ways to practice for their homework.
You'll
want to follow up with a quick assessment
the following day. And remember,
assessment can be the same for the class,
regardless of which practice assignment
they chose, because they were all working
toward the same learning objective.
Misc Chatter & Workshop News
What
a great week I had in Canada. Last
Monday I was in Montreal, Quebec finishing
up a series with the LCEEQ teachers there.
Then
it was off to McCreary, Manitoba, about
3 hours north of Winnipeg. I always
enjoy the town "characters" I
find in Manitoba and McCreary was no different.
Here's their town character,
Even though
it was still rather cold and snowy in Manitoba,
there was a warm welcome from the entire
teaching staff at Turtle River School District.
Next
week, I'll be heading to North Carolina
for a session on A Student's Brain with
the teachers at McDougle Elementary in Chapel
Hill. New workshops are in the making
for a variety of workshops during August
and the rest of the fall (see my
calendar page.) If you are looking to host a workshop at your school, please email me for a brochure.
As
always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
Dr Kathie
F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . . because every child
deserves a special education (tm)
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, simply reply
to this and let me know.
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15
years of publication,
17,000+ subscribers
Friday,
April 12, 2013
News
and updates to Kathie
Nunley's Layered Curriculum
Sites for Educatiors:
Classroom Tip: (Another) Paint Recipe
HOT TOPIC: School Adjustment Appears to Be Passed from Fathers to Sons.
The 10-minute Task Corner
Misc Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
(Another)
Paint Recipe
From
Karen McClain, at Seneca
Valley Middle School
in PA: I have
another tip for creating
your own paint very
cheaply! You mix Ivory
Liquid dish soap with
food coloring. Put in
enough drops of food
coloring to get the
desired shade of color
you want. The
amount of dish liquid
is based on how much
paint you need. It works
so well with younger
students because it
comes out of their clothing
if they get any of it
on them! I learned this
trick while teaching
preschool and kindergarten
and many parents were
upset because their
child got paint on their
new clothes and it stained
them. This paint is
not only cost effective,
but is a snap to prepare
and you never have to
worry about dried up
paint!
HOT
TOPIC: School Adjustment
Appears to Be Passed
from Fathers to Sons
Improve
the school adjustment
for an elementary student
today and you may be
helping future generations.
So says new research
out this month, which
tracked achievement
and school adjustment
in boys starting in
the 4th grade and continued
throughout the school
years and into parenthood.
Then this longitudinal
study watched their
children through preschool
and elementary. The
father's academic achievement and
school adjustment were
directly related to
the same factors
in their children
The 10-minute Task Corner
I
saw a great classroom
idea this week, stacked
in the corner of a
classroom. The
teacher used clear
plastic shoeboxes
to create individual,
colorful and uniquie learning
games / kits.
Each kit contained materials
to learn or practice
a particular skill
(math, reading, maps).
They are stacked on
a bookshelf in the
corner marked "Got
10 minutes?"
Great idea for students
who finish regular
work a bit early.
You could make these
"mini lessons"
on any topic and for
a variety of grade
levels. Even
study kits for AP
classes - where each
kit contained a study
game for a particular
concept. Many
of these could be
student constructed
- offer them as a
B layer assignment.
Misc Chatter & Workshop News
Winter
is having a hard time
letting go up here in
New England. Today,
April 12th brings us
freezing temperatures
and sleet. Brrr,
just when I thought
it was safe to turn
off the heat - it's
back on today. So,
we're still hoping for
spring some day soon.
I
had a wonderful time
in Toronto last week.
Thank you Dufferin
Peel Catholic School
Board for a great day.
On Monday, I'll
be returning to Montreal
as we wrap up our series
with the LCEEQ teachers
working on implementing
student-centered classrooms.
On
April 19th there is
an open Layered Curriculum
workshop in McCreary,
Manitoba and on August
7th we have a new Layered
Curriculum workshop
scheduled in Clever,
Missouri, which is also
open to outside participants.
Contact information
for both of those is
located on my calendar page.
I
am now booking workshops
for fall / winter 2013.
If you would like
more information on
hosting a workshop at
your school, email
me for a brochure.
As
always, my best to you
and yours,
Kathie
Dr
Kathie F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . .
because every child
deserves a special education
(tm)
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, simply
reply to this and let
me know.
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15
years of publication,
17,000+ subscribers
Thursday,
April 4, 2013
News
and updates to Kathie
Nunley's Layered Curriculum
Sites for Educatiors:
Classroom Tip: Paint Recipe
HOT TOPIC: Good Teacher-Student Relationships Can Protect Teens from
Depression Risk Factors
Schools in the UAE
Misc Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
Paint
Recipe
William Stone from
the New York City
Department of Education sent
along this idea - Never
buy paint for kids!!
Easy enough to
make
1
cup salt
1
cup flour
1
cup water
food
coloring
Mix any color shades
you want / need.
HOT
TOPIC: Good Teacher-Student
Relationships Can Protect Teens
from Depression Risk
Factors.
Here's
new research that gives
us one more reason to
teach. Teacher
can offer protection
against some psychological
challenges in teens.
Poor self-control
and parent-child conflict
puts adolescents at
risk for depression
and school behavior
problems. However,
new research out this
month shows that a positive
teacher-student relationship
can protect adolescents
from this risk.
It appears that a good
relationship with a
teacher can undo some
of the risk factors
of poor self-control
and parent - adolescent
conflict.
Schools in the UAE
I
visited Dubai and
Abu Dhabi last week
in the United Arab
Emirates. -in
part to see for myself,
this fast-paced exercise
in city design and
growth and in part
to see their schools.
The city of
Dubai truly is an
amazing testament
to human creativity
and design.
But not only is
the UAE impressive
in it's building architecture,
it is impressive in
its government education
system. The
president has been
serious about investing
in his nation's future
by investing in its
schools. The
schools have formed
tight alliances with
institutions and associations
in the United States.
They have built
state of the art schools
with emphasis on creative
pedagogy, student-centered
classrooms and preparing
their students to
compete in a global
society. English
is taught right from
the primary grades
and education is compulsory
through the 9th grade,
and literacy
rates approach 90%.
And they recognize
the need for special
needs education through
mainstream classrooms.
Cooperative
programs have been
developed between
the UAE and institutions
in the US to help
with improving their
special education.
Misc Chatter & Workshop News
Happy
spring everyone! I
hope you are enjoying
the birth of another
earth year. April
always brings a
bit of nerves as we
see the close of the
school year approaching.
This means a few
weeks remain to prepare
for year-end tests,
regents, AP exams, exit
exams, etc. But take
some time to venture
outdoors, with your
students and appreciate
nature's youth.
April is a busy month
for me too. I'm
heading back to Toronto
on Monday for a day
with the teachers at
the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School
Board. Then I'll
head back to Montreal
to work again with the
LCEEQ group and finally
up to McCreary, Manitoba
for a day of Layered
Curriculum with the
Turtle River School
Division. New
workshops are now in
the planning for Missouri
and North Carolina.
You can check
out my workshop schedule
any time on the calendar
page at the website.
I
am now booking workshops
for summer and fall
/ winter 2013.
If you would like
more information on
hosting a workshop at
your school, email
me for a brochure.
As
always, my best to you
and yours,
Kathie
Dr
Kathie F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . .
because every child
deserves a special education
(tm)
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, simply
reply to this and let
me know.
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information at
the bottom
15
years of publication,
17,000+ subscribers
Thursday,
March 21, 2013
News
and updates to
Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum
Sites for Educatiors:
Classroom Tip: Chalkboards anywhere, everywhere
HOT TOPIC: "Social
Jet Lag"
Plagues Teens
& Teachers
Thank You to the Teachers at New York City's Facing History School
Misc Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
Chalkboards
anywhere, everywhere
Chalkboard
paint is a teacher's
best friend. You
can paint old
leftover 12-inch
tiles for individual
chalkboards. Or
build a frame
on the wall and
paint a chalkboard
- then use colored
chalk to have
students make
unit bulletin
boards. They
are great scattered
in various heights
and sections of
the room for students
to work out group
activities. Have
a teaching tip
for us? Please
send
it to kathie@brains.org
HOT
TOPIC: "Social
Jet Lag"
Plagues Teens
& Teachers
While there are many valid reasons to promote all boys or all girls schools,
academic achievement
may not be one
of them. Traditional
research on same-gendered
schooling here
in the US has
been hampered
by the fact that
there is parental
bias in sending
their child to
an all-boy or
all-girl school.
Since the
assigning of students
to these schools
is not random,
research results
do not generalize
well to the population
at large. However,
we can now look
at reserch which
has come out of
Korea - where
they do randomly
assign students
to same-gendered
schools. A
new study which
measured science
and math achievement
scores finds no
difference for
students in mixed
gendered versus
same-gendered
schools. Scores
were similar.
Pahlke,
E. et al (2013)
The Effects
of Single-Sex
Compared With
Coeducational
Schooling on Mathematics
and Science Achievement:
Data From Korea.
Journal
of Educational
Psychology,
Mar 18 preview,
nps. More
Hot Topics at
the Brains.org Website
Also,
you may have seen
my re-tweet yesterday
from Medical News Today, reporting on some new research showing that
elite athletes
also appear to
score higher on
memory tests and
tasks which require
task switching.
Male and
Female athletes
beat their non-athlete
counterparts.
Thank You to the Teachers at New York City's Facing History School
I
managed to escape
another snowstorm here
in New England
this week in
time to train
down to New
York City for
a DIfferentiating
the High School
with Layered
Curriculum workshop yesterday
at the Facing
History School
in Manhattan.
The school
sits in the
heart of what
traditionally
is known as
Hell's Kitchen.
I had a great
day and a return
visit is already
in the planning.
I look
forward to seeing
with the teachers
there do with
Layered Curriculum.
I also
was impressed
with the student
artwork that
adorned the
hallways.
Misc Chatter & Workshop News
I
know many of you
are on Spring
Break, or just
coming off of
it. I hope
you enjoyed someplace
warm and sunny.
As I write this
I'm heading to
a very sunny and
warm climate -
the United Arab
Emirates for a
week. I'll
be soaking up
the sun and scenery
and researching
the education
system in the
middle east. Watch
my Twitter
feed for
some photos and
notes along the
way.
I'll
be back for a
busy April with
three workshops
in Canada including
Ontario, Quebec
and Manitoba.
Also new
workshops are
now in the planning
for Missouri and
North Carolina.
You can
check out my workshop
schedule any time
on the calendar page at
the website.
I
am now booking
workshops for
summer and fall
/ winter 2013.
If you would
like more information
on hosting a workshop
at your school,
email
me for a brochure.
As
always, my best
to you and yours,
Kathie
Dr
Kathie F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R)
. . . because
every child deserves
a special education
(tm)
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,
simply reply to
this and let me
know.
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15 years
of publication, 17,000+ subscribers
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
News and
updates to Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum
Sites for Educatiors:
Classroom Tip: Make Individual Seat Cushions / Sit-upons
HOT TOPIC: "Social
Jet Lag" Plagues Teens & Teachers
Email: Teachers Tired of Being Blamed for Issues Related To Poverty
Misc Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
Make
Individual Seat Cushions / Sit-upons
Have
students make "sit-upons" by binding
a thick magazine or two and inserting into
a pillow case. They can make them
more comfortable with a piece of foam
too. Work in progress can be stored in a
file folder inserted along side the magazines.
As they move around from station to
station, they take their sit-upon and their
work.
HOT
TOPIC: "Social
Jet Lag" Plagues Teens & Teachers
Lost
a little sleep last night? Probably no great
harm. Lost a little sleep every night this
week? Now it's a danger. Researchers everywhere
are becoming concerned with the so called
"social jet lag" that is plaguing
our nation. Chronic sleep deprivation and
the habit of our society to shift sleep
patterns on weekends several hours later
than during the week. Chronic sleep
loss causes metabolic changes in the body.
This means you no longer regulate appetite
correctly. Your glucose metabolism and blood
pressure control go out the window. People
with chronic sleep deprivation tend to take
in more calories during the day - especially
from fats. The effect is very strong in
children and adolescents. Not only do you
take in more calories, your body loses its
ability to respond to insulin. Teens who
added one more hour of sleep to their day
improved their insulin resistance nearly
10%. Full citation is available at
the Brains.org Website
Email: Teachers Tired of Being Blamed for Issues Related To Poverty
Thanks
Dr. Nunley for your insightful article (America's Absolutely Wonderful Education System) talking
about the United States education system
as compared to other countries! I am a public
school teacher in Tennessee and I have been
teaching for 20 years and I love teaching
very much but I, like many other teachers
in TN, am so tired of being blamed for low
test scores and for constantly being compared
to other countries' education systems. We
are also compared to other states in our
own country! Tennessee's problem is
that we have so many students living in
poverty and the legislators don't want to
address that issue. They just want
to add vouchers and charter schools to our
state instead of supporting public school!
I
have known for some time that comparing
the USA to other countries was like comparing
apples and oranges! No one seems to be listening!
Legislators want public schools to fail
so that they can privatize education. You
know what will happen if that occurs, only
wealthy children will be educated and the
poor won't be able to go to school! I hope
you have an opportunity to speak to legislators
in DC and help them understand what your
article was saying. We have the best
education system in the world because we
educate everyone! Debbie Lester,
Washington County, TN
Misc Chatter & Workshop News
Happy
Spring!! It's a beautiful day here
in New England. The sun is shining,
the snow and ice piles are melting as fast
as they can, and the birds are busy with
their annual habitat construction. It's
so wonderful, I just want to stand next
to the window and soak it all in. The
Joy of Spring!
I'm
heading down to New York City next week
for day of Differentiating Your
High School with Layered Curriculum
at The Facing History School
in Manhattan.
Then
I'll be spending a week in the UAE - primarily
Dubai to do a bit of research on education
in the Middle East. April workshops
include 3 stops in Canada - Montreal, Toronto
and McCreary. And a new workshop is
scheduled for early May in North Carolina.
You can check out my workshop schedule
any time on the calendar
page at the website.
I
am now booking workshops for summer and
fall / winter 2013. If you would
like more information on hosting a workshop
at your school, email
me for a brochure.
As
always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
Dr Kathie
F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . . because every child
deserves a special education (tm)
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, simply reply
to this and let me know.
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Unsubscribe
and address change information at the bottom
15 years of publication,
17,000+ subscribers
Monday, February 25, 2013
News and updates to Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum Sites for Educatiors:
http://Help4Teachers.com
http://Brains.org
Teaching
Tip for any Grade Level
HOT
TOPIC: Bullying Increases Drop-Out Risk
What's
New in Books
Misc
Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
Teaching
Tip for any Grade Level
Paint
the inside of your classroom door with chalkboard paint. You
can use colored chalk to write the day's greeting or various
colors to note reminders for the students. It's
the first thing students will see as they arrive and the last
thing they'll see as they leave.
Have
a teaching tip for us? Please send
it to kathie@brains.org
HOT
TOPIC: Bullying Increases Drop-Out Risk
New
research out of Virginia on bullying. In studying 275+
high schools in Virginia over the past several years, they
found that bullying does indeed increase a student's risk
of dropping out of school. They tracked 9th graders'
self reported and teacher reported bullying and teasing. Even
controlling for other issues such as poverty, minority status,
community crime rates, etc., the incidence of bullying was
a predictive of high school drop out as any other known predictive
factor. Students who were teased or bullied were at
about a 15% greater risk of not completing all 4 years. Lead
researcher Dr Dewey Cornell is author of School
Violence: Fears Versus Facts . Full citation is
available at the Brains.org
Website
What's
New In Books
As many of you know, I was at the "Reading for the Love
of It" Conference in Toronto last week. Great conference.
While there I was able to meet and catch up with my
good friend, David Sousa (You're probably familiar with
his How
the Brain Learns and
many others in that series).
David was very excited about two topics - his recent trip
to Mumbai to work with the International Schools there, and
his brand new book From
STEM to STEAM: Using Brain-Compatible Strategies to Integrate
the Arts .
The book was just released this past Friday. In
this new book, he's partnered with Tom Pilecki who is
an Art Educator. The two of them worked to make this
very practical guide to integrating arts into STEM.
Dr David Sousa
Misc
Chatter & Workshop News
Late winter......that time of
year where we are fighting cabin fever and anxiously awaiting
any little hint that spring may return. Here in New
England we are still buried in snow and cold. The only
sign of spring is the very occasional, but always welcome,
call of a spring bird preparing his tree and nesting site.
February is also a great time
for conferences - gets us out of the cold and into the warmth
of colleagues and the excitement of new learning. As
mentioned, I just returned from Toronto and the Reading for
the Love of It Conference where I presented on Student Brains
and Memory Systems. Always great to see old friends
again too. Next week I'll be heading back up to
Toronto for a day with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board in Mississauga. From there I'll be
returning to New York City for a full day of Differentiating
Your High School with Layered
Curriculum workshop at The Facing History School
in Manhattan. You can find a list of all
my workshops on my calendar
page.
My spring
calendar is filled, but I still have some openings for beginning
in late May through the fall of 2013. If
you would like more information on hosting a workshop at your
school, email
me for a brochure.
As
always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
Dr Kathie F Nunley
Layered Curriculum(R)
. . . because every child deserves a special education (tm)
You are receiving this newsletter because you requested to
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newsletter list, nor is it used for any other purpose
other than this bi-monthly newsletter. Should you need to
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me know.
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15
years of publication, 17,000+
subscribers
Thursday,
February 14, 2013
News
and updates to Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum Sites for
Educatiors:
Teaching Tip for Attendance and Sense of Belonging
HOT TOPIC: Programs Designed to Improve Working Memory May Be Ineffective
New Study: All Letters are Not Created Equal (in importance)
eBooks Now Available in (free) Kindle Lending Library
Misc Chatter
& Layered Curriculum Workshop
News
Teaching
Tip for Attendance and Sense
of Belonging
On
the wall near the door, have
laminated cards with students'
name along with a picture
of them (make these on day
1). Have a piece of
velcro on the back. As
students come in, they pick
up their name card and place
it on the large felt wall
board titled "I'm Here
Today!". When everyone
arrives, you can take any
remaining tags, mark your
absences, and move those to
a felt wall board titled
"We're Missing You Today!".
Works great with any
age group, pre-K right through
high school.
HOT
TOPIC: Programs Designed to
Improve Working Memory May
Be Ineffective
If
you are considering (or currently
using) some type of program
claiming to improve working
memory in children, you may
want to look at a review of
the literature that came out
this month. It appears
that while there are a lot
of working memory training
programs out there, they do
not seem to be effective in
treating working memory issues
with ADHD or as a tool to
improve cognitive ability
or academic achievement in
typically developing children
either. A recent review
of the data on over 25 treatment
studies, shows that some working
memory treatment programs
may result in some short-term
improvements in specific working
memory skills. But the
effects are short-lived, and
more importantly do not generalize
to other skills such as nonverbal
ability, inhibition, attention,
word decoding or math.
New Study: All Letters are Not Created Equal (in importance)
A
study released last month
reminded me of a something
that made the rounds through
the internet a few years ago.
Do you recall reading
this?:
"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer
in waht oredr the ltteers
in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt
tihng is taht the frist and
lsat ltteers be at the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a toatl
mses and you can sitll raed
it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
not raed ervey lteter by istlef,
but the wrod as a wlohe."
When
reading, apparently all letters
are not created equal - at
least in their importance.
The first letter of a word
is detected more easily than
any of the other letters and
appears to be the most critical.
The final letter is also important,
though not as easily detected.
Transposing the other letters
in a word appears to not make
much difference in reading
comprehension.
Guérard,
K. et al (2012, December)
"Assessing the influence of letter position in reading
normal and transposed texts
using a letter detection task."
Canadian
Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Vol 66(4), 227-238.
eBooks Now Available in (free)
Kindle Lending Library
Several of my ebooks are now in the Kindle Lending Library (for free loan)
Misc Chatter & Workshop News
Greetings
on this lovely Valentine's
Day. I hope you have
a special valentine to share
the day with. Wishing
you lots of candy hearts and
paper flowers and hugs from
special people.
I'm
sitting here in New England
basking in the winter sunshine
and looking at out at our
still impressive snow cover.
As many of you heard,
we endured quite the blizzard
last weekend and actually
the Boston public school just
yesterday resumed classes.
It was a storm to remember.
I personally will remember
it, as it left me stranded
in Detroit for several days!
I had a wonderful time
last week with the Catholic
High School in Windsor, Ontario.
But, I didn't make it
back to the airport in time
to catch the last flight back
to Boston before Nemo hit.
So, I had an extended
weekend in Detroit.
I'm
really looking forward to
next week's "Reading
For The Love of It" conference
in Toronto - always a big
turn out. If you are
there, come say hello. I'll
be doing 2 presentations
on Thursday, the 21st.
My
spring calendar is just about
filled, but I still have some
openings for summer and many
openings for fall of 2013.
If
you would like more information
on hosting a workshop at your
school, email me for a brochure.
As
always, my best to you and
yours,
Kathie
Dr
Kathie F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . . because
every child deserves a special
education (tm)
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, simply reply
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15 years of publication, 17,000+
subscribers
Thursday, January
31, 2013
News and updates to Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum Sites for Educatiors:
http://Help4Teachers.com
http://Brains.org
Teaching
Tip for Smooth Transition to End-of-Class
or End-of-Day
HOT
TOPIC: Executive
Function Tends to Worsen for ASD
children as they progress through
Adolescence
eBooks
Available
How
to Move Your Staff Toward Differentiation
Misc
Chatter & Layered Curriculum
Workshop News
Teaching
Tip for Smooth Transition to End-of-Class
or End-of-Day
Here's
a teaching tip I received from
a recent workshop participant:
Have a "pack up"
song you play when there are just
3 or 4 minutes left in class.
When the kids hear the song
they know it's time to organize
their materials, jot down any
last minute assignments or notes
and pack up. Makes a smoother
end of class without the teacher
having to give oral directives
and reminders. Students
must be ready before the song
ends.
Great
idea! Thanks. I think you
could also vary it from week to
week, especially with older students
- have them select the song of
the week.
Have
a teaching tip for us? Please
send
it to kathie@brains.org
HOT
TOPIC: Executive Function Tends
to Worsen for ASD children as
they progress through Adolescence
Full
Citation at the Website
New
eBooks Available
Several
of my books are now available
in Kindle Format (download the
software for free for your Android
Device here: Kindle
for Android)
HOMEWORK
For New Parents: Assignments for
raising the IQ of your child,
birth - 2
Enhancing
Your Layered Curriculum Classroom:
Tips, Tune-ups and Technology
Layered
Curriculum: The practical solution
for teachers with more than one
student in their classroom (2ed)
Chap 1-3 & 18
(Email) How to Move Your Staff
Toward Differentiation
Hi
Kathie, I used your Layered
Curriculum for years when I was
a middle school science teacher.
Now I'm a new principal
at our high school. I can
see a real need for differentiation
as we have a very diverse population.
However, I'm struggling
with how to get the staff onboard
(I guess we have a diverse
population of staff as well!).
Any ideas would be appreciated.
- Stan. H., GA.
=====
Stan,
First,
congratulations on your first
principalship! Just like
teaching, the first year is probably
the most difficult. As you
know from classroom teaching,
mandating anything is a sure fire
way to meet resistance. So
think of the process more along
the lines of a Layered Curriculum.
Start by adding to your
staff's bank of knowledge
on why there is a need for differentiation
and more importantly, HOW can
they do this. Then allow
teachers to play around with some
of the concepts (B layer), and
finally, using small, volunteer
groups, have them share an evaluation
piece of what went right, what
are still struggles to overcome.
Then
get a small seed group of enthusiastic
teachers and provide them more
intense training and prep time.
Once they get started, I
think you will find it infectious.
After all, the first thing
teachers discover in a differentiated
classroom is how much more FUN
it is - for the teacher! And
thats what tends to get others
interested.
Go
slow...Rome wasn't built in
a day and a differentiated high
school isn't built in a year,
but it can be built. Best
of Luck! - Kathie
Misc
Chatter & Workshop News
Happy
Mid-Winter! I noted on my
calendar last Monday, that I heard
the first Spring bird call of
the season. I always note
it on my calendar because I then
know that we have just 6 more
weeks of winter. (Males tend to
come 6 weeks before the females
to stake their claim on the best
tree- hence the call). The
birds haven't failed me yet.
I'm
excited about heading up to Windsor,
Ontario next week for a Differentiating
with Layered Curriculum day at
Catholic Central High School.
Later this month I'll
be at the Reading For the Love
of It Conference in Toronto.
I
now have my summer and fall calendar
open for 2013. If
you would like more information
on hosting a workshop at your
school, email
me for a brochure.
And
we are making progress on another
series of presentations in South
Africa - email if you are in that
region and interested in joining
in with us in September / October
of 2013.
As
always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
Dr
Kathie F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . . because every
child deserves a special education
(tm)
 
Order
the Layered Curriculum Text &
Workbook Set
for
only $43.95 w/ Free Shipping
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, simply reply to
this and let me know.
Layered Curriculum(R) is a trademark
developed by and registered to
Dr. Kathie F Nunley. Usage
information available at: http://help4teachers.com/usage.htm
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the bottom
15
years of publication, 17,000+ subscribers
Thursday,
January 24, 2013
News and updates to Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum Sites for Educatiors:
A School Tip for Your College-Bound High Schoolers
HOT TOPIC: Spanking Increases Aggression in Children
New eBooks Available
New Layered Curriculum Unit Contributed for
Staff PD on Elem Science
Misc Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
Tip for Your College Bound Students
Here's
an idea I gleaned while at Holton
High School in Michigan this week.
A sign posted by each teacher's
door, not only listed the teacher's
name, but included in large type,
the name of the College or University
he or she attended - along with
the suggestion to "Ask Me About
It". What a great way
to take advantage of all the 1st
person reviews you have for various
colleges, get students thinking
about colleges, and expand their
options.
HOT
TOPIC: Spanking Increases Aggression
in Children
Spanking
children makes them more aggressive.
So says new research out this
month by researchers Elizabeth Gershoff
(author of Understanding
Mother-Adolescent Conflict Discussions) and Inna Altschul (author of Parental
involvement and the academic achievement
of Mexican American youth).
In a large study of thousands of
mothers and children, they gathered
information regarding incidence
of spanking at age 1, 3 and 5 and
children's levels of aggression.
Children who were spanked
by mothers, as early as 1 year of
age, were more aggressive by age
3. Spanking anytime during
early childhood, was correlated
with aggressive behavior. Levels
of maternal warmth otherwise, had
no moderating effect. So even
warm, caring mothers who spank will
see more aggression in their children.
New
eBooks Available
Several
of my books are now available in
Kindle Format (download the software
for free for your Android Device
here: Kindle
for Android)
(Email) New Layered Curriculum Unit Contributed for Staff PD on
Elem Science
Hi Kathie,
[Attached]
is a sample Layered Curriculum for
staff PD on Layered Curriculum using
elementary science as the focus.
It’s designed for a
45-minute session to model for teachers
how powerful and easy LC is as an
instructional strategy.
My “pitch”
to the teachers I work with is that
Layered Curriculum is a method to
organize instruction for students
in a way that 1) allows students
choices as to how they learn, 2)
leads to students taking ownership
of their learning, yet 3) holds
students accountable for what they
learn.
I used a
similar strategy to teach high school
physics at Myers Park HS here in
Charlotte. I called my approach
– ITS – which stands
for Individualized Teaching System,
although students at first called
it an Idiotic Teaching System because
I would not be teaching and they
needed to teach themselves.
What I liked
about ITS and Layered Curriculum
is that both strategies help students
take ownership of their learning,
allows teachers to be “organizers
of learning resources”, and
results in a student-centered classroom
where the spotlight is on student
learning and not teachers teaching.
Our Superintendent
of Curriculum, challenged the central
office team to make a Big Bet on
a policy, program, or project that
would have a major impact on teacher
practice and student learning in
our district. My Big Bet was
Layered Curriculum as an approach
to empower teachers and get students
excited about science.
Also attached
is a Layered Curriculum for second
grade weather aligned to the NC
Essential Standards for Science.
Chris Fisher, no relation, created
it after learning about Layered
Curriculum from information I share
on our science listserves.
Wayne
Fisher, MS, MEd, NBCT
Science
Specialist, PAEMST
STAR
Discovery Educator, Charlotte,
NC
Misc
Chatter & Workshop News
Cold
enough for everyone!? Wow,
if you're in North America, I don't
have to tell you it's winter this
week! Today I'm writing you
from New Hampshire where is it a
balmy minus 4 degrees. (and
windy - but I don't even want to
think about the wind chill). Seems
everywhere I've been this month
- it's been frigid.
I
started in Montreal, where I had
a fantastic time in my continued
work with the Leadership Committee
Teams as we work on differentiation.
And I just returned from Holton,
Michigan, which had chilly temperatures,
but warm teachers! We spent
the day with their elementary, middle
and high school working on differentiating
with Layered Curriculum. Here
we are in their "Red Devil
Den". Thanks for the
great day!
I
am currently scheduling presentations
for all of 2013. If
you would like more information
on hosting a workshop at your school,
email me for a brochure.
As
always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
Dr
Kathie F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . . because every
child deserves a special education
(tm)
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, simply reply to this
and let me know.
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15 years
of publication, 17,000+ subscribers
Thursday, January 10, 2013
News and
updates to Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum
Sites for Educatiors:
3
Quick Tips for Your Layered Curriculum Classroom
HOT TOPIC: Middle School Math Struggles Intensify From 6th to 8th Grade
New eBook: HOMEWORK For New Parents
Facebook Fan Posts Question on Grading for Quality
Misc Chatter & Layered Curriculum Workshop News
3 Quick Tips for Your Layered Curriculum Classroom
- Change
the seating arrangement and /or the classroom
layout with every new unit. Helps
keeps things fresh and novel.
- Keep
student unit sheets in individual files
in a stand-alone box. Have students grab
their file as they come in the door -
attendance is finished.
- A
"C layer" assignment choice
for character analysis in an English class:
Have the students create a list of daily
"tweets" the character would
have posted to a Twitter account.
HOT
TOPIC: Middle School Math Struggles Intensify
From 6th to 8th Grade
Robert Siegler, (author of Children's
Thinking) was
the lead researcher in a new study out last
month concerning math. Children who struggle with division of whole
numbers and understanding the magnitude
of various fractions tend to be the ones
who struggle with fraction arithmetic in
middle grades. And as the children move
through middle school math, the struggles
intensify. The research finds that the difference
between low and high achieving 6th graders
in math is much greater by 8th grade.
New
eBook: HOMEWORK For New Parents
Facebook Fan Posts Question on Grading for Quality
Tony White posted this question on our Facebook Page:
How do you address the quality of a student's work in Layered
Curriculum? Or do you? I understand that
grading is based on what the student has
learned, not what they have done. So do
you discount lack of quality, not following
instructions, etc. even if the student "knows"
the material verbally?"
======
Tony your
question is excellent and one that falls
in the "A Layer" category of
questions - there is no objectively right
or wrong answer here. Whether to
count quality, effort, artistic ability,
time spent, etc in grading is completely
up to you as the teacher. However, the
emphasis should always be on the learning
that took place. Try to set your
assignments up so that students understand
that the point to the assignment is the
learning. Clearly state the learning objective
and then grade for it. (we're trying
to steer clear of "busy work").
But if
you want to throw in a little bit for aesthetic value,
especially on projects, I think that's
fine - as long as it doesn't create more
confusion. For C layer assignments,
personally, I'm just looking for the learning.
"Following
instructions" however, is a different
matter. That is certainly an important
skill for academic success! --Kathie
Misc
Chatter & Workshop News
The
New Year brings new opportunities and new
Layered Curriculum workshops. This
weekend I'll be heading back to Montreal
for to work with the Leadership Committee for English Education in Quebec on Differentiating
the High School Classroom. Then I'll
be spending Martin Luther King Day in Holton,
Michigan for a day of Layered Curriculum.
New
workshops are in the making for spring and
summer and information is posted on the
calendar.
I
am currently scheduling presentations for
all of 2013. If
you would like more information on hosting
a workshop at your school, email me for a brochure.
I wish everyone, everywhere a most peaceful
and Happy New Year!
As
always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
Dr Kathie
F Nunley
Layered
Curriculum(R) . . . because every child
deserves a special education (tm)
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, simply reply
to this and let me know.
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Dr
Kathie F Nunley's _Website for Educators_
