Celebrations
Celebrations
December is a great month for celebrations of all kinds! Browse our resources for gift ideas, free e-cards from award-winning illustrators, ideas for parents and teachers, and much more.
Culturally Responsive Instruction for Holiday and Religious Celebrations
The first step in implementing more culturally responsive instruction is recognizing how our own cultural conditioning is reflected in our teaching. This article shows teachers how to bring rich cultural content into their teaching in a way that expands students' knowledge and interest. Find suggestions to use throughout the school year, as well as when observing cultural and religious holidays and celebrations.
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15 Holiday Survival Tips for Kids with LD
The holidays bring joy, but they can also bring a bit of chaos into our homes, with all of the anticipation, visiting, and regular schedules flipped upside down. For kids who thrive on daily routines and planning, the holidays can be stressful. Our friends at the National Center for Learning Disabilities have developed a helpful set of tips for a fun, relaxing holiday. Tip #10: It's OK to peel away!
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Free E-Cards for Readers
Motivate the special children in your life to read and read some more! Send one of the free e-cards below to a child, student, grandchild, colleague, or friend. The e-cards were created for our sister site Reading Rockets by award-winning children's book illustrators Bruce Degen, Betsy Lewin, Peter Sís, Marc Brown, and many others.
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StoryTubes 2013 Contest
The 2-minute or less "my favorite book" video project is a unique opportunity for kids to promote their favorite books via short videos and for kids to learn about new titles by watching them. Prizes are donated by national publishers and others. Kids and teens (grades K-12) who are residents of the United States, its territories, or of Nova Scotia, Canada, or who are children of U.S. military personnel stationed abroad may enter. Students may enter through an organization (i.e., a school or library) or on their own. For more information, visit the StoryTubes website.
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Expert Advice: Can our daughter be both gifted and learning disabled at the same time?
Question: My daughter is in a Gifted and Talented program in our school and is in the fourth grade. Since starting the program last year, we have noted a difficulty in spelling. How is it that our daughter can read through her entire state tests, score well above average, do well in all her subjects, and not be able to spell or restate what she just read?
Read on for Dr. Silver's reply.
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Glossary Term: Domain-Specific Words and Phrases
Vocabulary specific to a particular field of study (domain), such as the human body (Common Core State Standards, p. 33); in the Standards, domain-specific words and phrases are analogous to Tier Three words (see Language, p. 33).
Featured Resource: Common Core: The Holiday Edition
Are you working with the Common Core State Standards this year? You might find this Common Core Holiday Edition a fun way to discover some new resources. Modeled after the 12 Days of Christmas, this collection of resources is organized by day: "On the first day of the holidays, the Common Core gave to me … 1 new perspective, 2 aligned units …" With links to more resources than you'll have time to visit!
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Learning Store Resource: Last One Picked, First One Picked On
Every child has experienced embarrassment or rejection in social situations. But kids with learning disabilities are often isolated and sometimes have a particularly hard time making and keeping friends. Host Richard Lavoie, a nationally-known expert on learning disabilities, explains why this happens — and what parents or teachers can do to help children improve their social skills.
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Conferences — Mark Your Calendars!
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) Annual Conference!
February 13-16, 2013
San Antonio, TX
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Research and News
In-Service and Coaching May Increase Accurate Use of Research-Based Strategies
Increasing the accurate use of research-based practices in classrooms is a critical issue. Professional development is one of the most practical ways to provide practicing teachers with training related to research-based practices. This study, reported in the November 2012 issue of Remedial and Special Education, examined the effects of in-service plus follow-up coaching on first grade teachers' accurate delivery of three research-based strategies during math instruction. Results indicated that all teachers improved their delivery of the strategies after the in-service, with a second level of growth achieved after coaching. Teachers reported very high levels of satisfaction with the training model.
Access the full research article in the November/December 2012 issue.
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Don't "Dys" Our Kids: Dyslexia and the Quest for Grade Level Reading Proficiency
The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, in partnership with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading just released a comprehensive report and action plan for helping children with learning disabilities reach grade-level reading proficiency. The core conclusion: it is impossible to close the achievement gap and reach grade level reading for all students without providing a "universal design for learning" for those with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities.
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