NEA: NEA Today: Resources -- November 2002

After a long day, you might wish for a magic wand if you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of students in your classroom who have various special needs.

You're not alone. As many as one-third or more of students in a typical general education classroom receive special education services. These youngsters are usually labeled "learning disabled."

Have you ever wondered: What really is a learning disability? What are the classroom signs of learning disabilities that I should I be looking for in my students? How do I explain it to parents?

While it's never easy to explain the complicated way that growing minds and bodies work or how things go wrong for some students, one resource, Learning Re-enabled, can help you accomplish this task with clarity and sensitivity.

The book begins with understandable descriptions of buzz words thrown around when a student has difficulty learning--learning disability, learning difference, IQ, attention deficit disorder--and explores the fine points of terms such as visual perception and sensory integration with unusual clarity.

An occupational therapist, Susan Orloff wrote this book to help parents and teachers decipher the maze of information that surfaces once a student is identified as having a learning disability.

The book's first part helps parents understand what a learning disability is. The second part outlines for teachers early (birth to age 5) developmental stages and lists classroom signs that indicate when a learning disability might exist.

One helpful section explains how occupational therapists can assist students with learning difficulties. Although many school children see occupational therapists, what they do and how their therapy affects the child's academic progress remains a mystery for most educators and parents. Orloff addresses this problem by including pictorial demonstrations of occupational therapy in action and writing samples that show dramatic changes in writing skills "after therapy."

"It's really important that teachers, parents, and other staff recognize there are others on the team who can support them" says Leslie Jackson of the American Occupational Therapy Association. "Occupational therapists can play a significant role in education programs for students who are having learning and behavioral challenges."

Learning Re-enabled is loaded with practical ideas about how toys and equipment can be used to supplement a student's therapy. Bonuses include guidelines for parents and teachers about how to have successful IEP meetings. The book also provides a succinct discussion about Section 504 in the appendix.

Orloff believes teachers and parents should interact as team members. To do that cooperatively, all team members need to speak the same language. By design, the book's coherent definitions and many ideas can help everyone on the "team" focus together on enabling students to learn--without a magic wand.

--Patti Ralabate
NEA Student Achievement

For more: Contact the American Occupational Therapy Association, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD, 20814, 301/652-2682, or go to www.aota.org.

From the NEA Professional Library

Excerpt
Everyone agreed that the driving motto of the school was that every student would complete every assignment at a level sufficient to get a B. Students worked on unfinished and unsatisfactory assignments until they were complete and satisfactory, all the while keeping up with new work. A poster on the wall of one teacher's classroom defined the grading scale:

A = Above and beyond
B = The basics, you know your stuff
I = Incomplete, you need more time and support

To order, call 800/229-4200, or check the Web at www.nea.org/books

Effort and Excellence in Urban Classrooms: Expecting--and Getting--Success with All Students
Copublished by NEA and Columbia Teachers College Press
Dick Corbett, Bruce Wilson, and Belinda Williams
178 pp. $21.95 NEA members
$23.95 nonmembers
# 2021-9-00-FN
This timely volume explores in detail how educators closed the performance gap for low-income students by linking expectations and results. Drawing heavily on the experiences of students, teachers, and parents, this book examines the successful journey of students who traditionally had not succeeded academically. Described as a "must read" for those serious about closing the achievement gap, Effort and Excellence reveals how these educators enabled students to be competitive academically with anyone.

Books by NEA Members

On Your Mark, Get Set, Teach!
By Lisa Funari Willever and Lisa Battinelli
A children's book author and a former Teacher of the Year share the methods, tips, and techniques used by successful teachers. This book prepares new teachers for the transition to school as a workplace and includes resource lists of websites that offer teacher "freebies," and a state-by-state directory of teachers' stores. 192 pp. $13.95 plus s&h from Franklin Mason Press. To order go to www.franklinmasonpress.com.

Tricks of the Trade: In & Out of the Classroom
By Peggy Campbell-Rush
Learn how to better organize your time, reduce interruptions in class, and involve parents in the classroom. A kindergarten teacher with more than 20 years' experience teaching primary grades wrote this collection of short, easy-to-read suggestions, which are useful for any preK-2 teacher. 96 pp. $12.95 from Crystal Springs Books. To order, call 800/321-0401 or go to www.crystalsprings.com.

Whose Coat?
By John Luksetich, illustrated by Patti Kern
Written by a 14-year veteran teacher, this book gently introduces young children to the topic of animal rights through a young girl's search for the origin of fur coats. (Here, the animals eventually get their fur coats back.) The book can be used to teach the value of caring and compassion. 32 pp. $14.95 from Imagine Nation Press. To order, call 888/483-7547 or 562/431-3032; or go to www.imaginenationpress.com.

The Dramatically Different Classroom: Multiple Intelligence Activities Across The Curriculum
By Mark Weakland and Christine Laitta
Awaken the Einsteins and Shakespeares in your class with this guide full of fresh activities, all focusing on ensemble projects, language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, health, and recess games and ideas. Each activity lists the multiple intelligences it engages. 198 pp. $25 from Kagan Publishing. To order, go to http://kaganonline.com/Catalog/ or call 800/933-2667.

A Moment of Peace and Quiet: Meditations for Teachers
By Gail G. Mesplay
Looking for a breather in a hectic day? Try opening this book to a random page and reading a short quotation and reflection on a topic such as responsibility or enthusiasm. Written and compiled by a 33-year teacher, let this collection of quotes and musings help you find a quiet moment in your day. 204 pp. $14 from Smyth and Helwys Publishing. To order, go to www.helwys.com or call 800/747-3016.

TV Tips

In the Mix
PBS, Week of November 16, check local listings for dates and times.
In the Mix, the award-winning documentary series for teens, presents "Living with Change," a program highlighting how teens have responded and coped with the effects of the ongoing events of the past year. Interviews include students who were closest to Ground Zero and have returned to their schools, a teen EMT who volunteered at the site, a boy who abused drugs but stopped after 9/11, and a teen who lost her stepfather, a firefighter. Companion study guides and a website are available at www.inthemix.org. All episodes have one-year off-air taping rights for educators.

Nick News: Special Edition
Nickelodeon, November 8 and 20, 5 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Linda Ellerbee created this series of specials from the award-winning news magazine for kids in grades 4-6. This month's program, "It's Only Television," teaches kids how to become media literate and explains how to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Jeff Sagansky, president of CBS Entertainment, and producer Gary Goldberg explain the economics of television and take viewers through the creation of a new series. The show can be taped and used in the classroom for 10 years with a lesson plan found at www.teachers.nick.com.

Home for the Holidays: The History of Thanksgiving
History Channel, November 15, 6 a.m., ET.
This History Channel Classroom documentary traces the history of the celebration that began as a Pilgrim harvest feast in the 1620s, was declared a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, and remains the quintessential U.S. holiday. The program also looks at traditional holiday elements, such as turkey dinners and football. The show can be taped and used in the classroom for two years. A lesson plan is available at www.historychannel.com/classroom.

Ozzy & Drix
Kids!WB!, November 16, 9:30 - 10 a.m., ET.
Based on the film "Osmosis Jones" this animated adventure, developed with a Harvard medical consultant, follows the exploits of a white blood cell cop, Ozzy, and his partner, over-the-counter cold pill Drix, as they defend the City of Hector--the body of a 13-year-old boy--to investigate and combat viruses and infections. In this episode, "Where's the Smoke," Hector experiments with cigarettes and unleashes a creature known as Nick O'Teen into the City of Hector. Ozzy and Drix must stop Nick before he travels to the brain and causes Hector to smoke again.

Biography for Kids
A&E, November 18, 7 a.m., ET ("Pocohontas") and November 29, 7 a.m., ET. ("Eureka!"), check local listings.
This Emmy Award-winning series profiles political leaders, artists, and other famous figures."Pocohontas: Ambassador to the New World" explores the unknown side of this tragic heroine and describes her life as a diplomat and influential leader. "Eureka! The 20th Century's Top 15 Inventors," features interviews with authors, executives, media personalities, and the inventors themselves, as this program profiles the lives of some of the most important inventors of the 20th century. Both shows can be taped and used in the classroom for two years, and both have lesson plans at www.aande.com/class.

The Real Thomas Jefferson
Discovery Channel, November 25, 9 a.m., ET.
This program profiles one of the founding fathers of the United States, including his invention of our monetary system and his fight for religious freedom and publicly funded education. The show can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. Go to http://school.discovery.com/teachers for an accompanying lesson plan.

Destination: America, Land of Dreams
WAM!, Thursday, November 28, 7 - 7:30 p.m., ET.
Designed to provide peer modeling, this special profiles young immigrants to America as they share their successful assimilations into schools and communities from New York to Denver. Home videos and videotape created by kids are intercut with interviews, graphics, and historical perspectives about the countries these students left behind.

Friday on the Rocks
National Geographic Channel, November 29, 1 p.m. - 2 a.m. ET.
Epic battles, fabled shipwrecks, lost treasures, last voyages, and more are revealed in Friday on the Rocks. In this special, Robert Ballard, world-renowned discoverer of the Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck, presents his personal insights in the "Search for the Submarine I-52"--the Japanese submarine that sank in 1944 with two tons of gold; "Terror At Sea" on the 45th anniversary of the sinking of the Andrea Doria; "Deep Sea Hunting" for treasured relics of an ancient ship at the bottom of the Aegean Sea; and"Secrets of Titanic," which documents his expedition to locate the famous vessel.

James Cameron's Expedition: Bismarck
Discovery Channel, December 8, 8 p.m., ET, check local listings.
In 1941, the British bombed and sunk Germany's "unsinkable" DKM Bismarck. In 2002, Titanic director James Cameron conducted the first detailed survey of the sunken ship with the help of revolutionary camera and lighting equipment and remotely operated vehicles. Enhanced by interviews, commentary from historians, and archival materials, the program explores the last days of the ship and investigates the cause of its sinking.

Rocks with Wings
PBS, December 11, 9 p.m., ET, check local listings.
Follow the journey of Jerry Richardson, an African-American star college basketball player from Texas, and the Lady Chieftains, a women's high school basketball team from the Navajo community of Shiprock, New Mexico, in this two-hour documentary. With intense and at times controversial determination, Richardson molds the young women into fighters on the court. What results is an inspirational story about the meaning of winning and losing, set against a complex background of race and heritage and societal expectations--for the players, the coach, and the Navajo community.

Degrassi: The Next Generation
Noggin/The N, Saturday, December 31, 9 p.m. - 3 a.m., ET.
It's New Year's Eve and the Degrassi kids are celebrating with a lock-in at Degrassi Community School. The "Degrassi New Year's Lock-in Eve" will feature back-to-back episodes of the series chosen by the show's stars who will host the special. At 11:30 p.m., a viewer's choice episode will close out the year. Beginning November 25 through December 23 kids can log on to vote at the N website at www.the-n.com. A discussion guide for parents can be found on www.discussions.the-n.com.

A Very Muppet Christmas Movie
NBC, December, check local listings.
Whoopi Goldberg joins Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and an all-star Muppet cast in this first-ever made- for-television holiday Muppet movie. Filled with celebrity cameo appearances, the film pays homage to all Christmas movies as Kermit struggles, on Christmas eve, to save the Muppet Theater from the stylish, yet Scroogish, bank owner Rachel Bitterman (played by Joan Cusack), who plans to demolish it. David Arquette plays Daniel, the rookie angel trying to earn his wings by helping Kermit.

Web winners

Practical Reading Tools
Educators can move from theory to practice with the new Resources for Educators section on the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) website. Find recommended book lists, professional development articles, Internet resources, teaching tips, an Ask the Expert column, student activities, and news and events calendar at this comprehensive site from one of NEA's Read Across America partners. Go to www.rif.org.

TheAntiDrug.com Educator Resource
TeachersGuide--a drug education resource developed by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign--provides teachers with ideas and resources for incorporating drug prevention messages into the classroom. Classroom activities were also developed by NEA's Health Information Network. While the activities are not a drug education curriculum, they offer ways to easily integrate drug prevention activities into different subject areas and can be used by almost any teacher of students age 11-14. Follow the lessons as written or tailor them to best meet the needs of your students and subject area. The site also provides additional links to educational resources and organizations that will take you to specific drug prevention and awareness information. Go to www.TeachersGuide.org.

Hotmath
Hotmath provides step-by-step solutions to homework problems in leading algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, and calculus textbooks, and also provides links to recommended math sites Just select the textbook and enter the page number and problem number to view guided solutions. Offered last year for a fee, www.hotmath.org is now free.

Art for all Ages
This site attracts children in grades K-12 with its unique educational experiences in art with the late Keith Haring's colorful, animated cartoon drawings. Children will enjoy interactive coloring books, picture puzzles, and tic-tac-toe. A new lesson plans section--organized by subject, age, and materials--offers teachers, parents, students, and fans resources for enriching, explorative lessons for all ages and fields of study. Go to www.haringkids.com.

Conflict Coverage
For nearly two years now, the Middle East has been wracked by violence between Israelis and Palestinians. As renewed bouts of violence continue to pop up, the reporters and producers at National Public Radio have followed the conflict. Their Middle East website has compiled an archive of daily reports, audio links, and transcripts from their "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" programs, starting with shows from the beginning of May. Go to www.npr.org/news/specials/mideast/transcripts/.

Braille Bug
The Braille Bug site teaches sighted children all about Braille and raises awareness for the issues that face America's 10 million blind or visually impaired children and adults. Created by the American Foundation for the Blind--an organization to which Helen Keller devoted more than 40 years of her life--Braille Bug also contains fun activities that help children familiarize themselves with Braille and its history. Go to www.afb.org/braillebug/.

Video Projects Guide
This website offers a comprehensive guide for teaching students how to produce a complete video project. Included is a 70-part online textbook that covers countless topics related to film--from script writing and the importance of lighting to 15 steps of production and legal and ethical issues. Students can tailor sample video projects to suit their schools' needs, look up key terms, and take interactive quizzes. Go to www.cybercollege.com/tvp_ind.htm.

New York Times Digital
For grades 3-12, the New York Times Learning Network provides interactive learning resources to match the contents of the newspaper. Students benefit from geography and vocabulary "knowledge tools" as they learn about the day's top stories. They can also take online news quizzes, complete crossword puzzles, and participate in special features such as "Ask a Reporter." The site is equipped with daily lesson plans, news snapshots, and much more. Go to www. nytimes.com/learning/.

Simple Science
Science Made Simple is exactly that--it answers science questions in a way kids can understand--questions such as "Why is the sky blue?" and "How do I breathe?" Easy science experiments include explanations of how static electricity works and why leaves change colors in the fall. Learn about the latest in science news and get your science questions answered in a clear, concise way. Go to www.sciencemadesimple.com.

Smithsonian Center
Developed for the education community, this site demonstrates leadership in education at the Smithsonian--the world's largest museum and research complex--and produces a variety of programs, services, and resources for the education community. You'll find lesson plans, media catalogs, field trips, a resource bank, an educator's tool kit, and much more. Go to http://educate.si.edu.

Health Strategies
Developed by The Rodale Institute, www.kidsregen.org helps people rediscover that the food they eat is a primary tool in achieving optimum health and avoiding illness and disease. The Kid's Re-generation Resource Network offers many useful health tips and programs, such as the launch of an exciting, year-long fitness and nutrition program that will motivate children as they work towards improving their eating and fitness habits each month.

Personal Digital Assistant
Thinking about buying a hand-held computer or other personal digital assistant (PDA)? Then visit the EduPalm website. Created by NEA member Gary Ankney, this site includes articles about what to look for when buying a PDA, as well as many links to other helpful articles and buying guides. Once you own a hand-held, return to the site for links to downloadable software and articles on how best to use and upgrade your PDA. Go to http://edupalm.org.