A Family Guide to the Sun

This downloadable 46-page activity and resource guide is a collection of puzzles, pictures, poetry and projects designed to stimulate co-learning experiences between children aged 6 to 13 and the adults they learn with. The Guide assumes little or no prior knowledge about the Sun or astronomy in general, and addresses many popular misconceptions. It focuses on four general themes: The Sun as a Star, The Sun's Connection to Life on Earth, The Sun's apparent Motion in the Earth's Sky, and The Sun's 11-year cycle of activity. The Guide includes several activities that engage multiple learning modes, a detailed FAQ (frequently asked questions), a glossary, and tips for adults on guiding inquiry-based learning experiences, as well as dynamic imagery, and elements such as cartoon host characters, Solar Max and Solar Minnie. Educational levels: Primary elementary, Intermediate elementary, Middle school

Disciplinary Literacy: Successes and Challenges of Professional Development

Literacy research has investigated disciplinary literacy for over a decade. The focus on disciplines as cultures of distinct literacy practice has been integrated into national standards and classroom implementation. Yet, research exploring the professional development in-service teachers receive specific to delivering disciplinary literacy instruction remains limited. This systematic literature review addresses this gap by analyzing 58 articles using the search terms professional development, disciplinary literacy, and content area literacy. The researchers discuss four focused themes that have emerged in disciplinary literacy research in relation to professional development (PD): disciplinary literacy as strategy instruction, differentiation and disciplinary literacy, measures of disciplinary literacy, and a PD model. The authors conclude discussing theoretical codes demonstrating both successes and challenges for PD in disciplinary literacy with implications for future PD

Cultural basis of social ‘deficits’ in autism spectrum disorders

There is very little research that specifically looks at how autism spectrum disorders are perceived in various communities. This qualitative research was conducted with parents who had children on the autistic spectrum belonging to four different ethnic communities (White British, Somali, West African and South Asian- 63 in total) and living in the UK. The study found that the importance that the parents give to various social skills varied on the basis of their cultural background and the gender of the parent. This is an important aspect to consider while providing support and services to individuals on the autism spectrum and their family members if the services have to be appropriate for their needs. This consideration would also enable the individuals on the autism spectrum to develop appropriate social skills required within their cultural groups. This is a preliminary study and further research on the topic is required

Social Cognitive Dynamics of Popularity and Indirect Aggression: The Role of Social Goals and Social Intelligence

This study investigated the social goals of adolescents and their use of indirect aggression. Additionally, it examined how gender, peer status (i.e. perceived popularity) and individual differences in social intelligence relate to adolescents' social goals and their use of indirect aggression. 109 seventh-graders completed a social goals measure and the Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS; Silvera, Martinussen, & Dahl, 2001). Participants also completed a peer nomination assessment of popularity and indirect aggression. Results indicated reliable associations among social goals and peer-nominated indirect aggression. Gender, popularity, and social intelligence further moderated these associations. These findings suggest that the social goals of adolescents can be a motivating force to engage in hurtful behaviors and provide a framework from which peer relations researchers can improve peer relationships and be better equipped to intervene in indirect aggression

Military Deployment in a Family: Children’s Literature as a Basis for Counseling Support

The authors summarize 30 children’s books that tell stories of a family member’s military deployment in order to identify books that could be used in bibliotherapy for children impacted by deployment. In this sample of books, the main characters are most commonly portrayed as feeling sad about a family member’s deployment. The most prevalent coping strategies are finding ways to stay connected to the deployed person and talking with an adult. An unexpected finding was a coping strategy of expressing pride in the family member’s military service

Portrayals of Bullying in Children’s Picture Books and Implications for Bibliotherapy

Bullying, a serious issue in today’s schools, negatively impacts children. This article summarizes research and emphasizes the need for effective tools, such as bibliotherapy, to deter bullying. To assist professionals in selecting books for bibliotherapy, 38 bully-themed children’s K-3 picture books ranked 1- 4 by The Horn Book Guide (HBG) from January 1, 2004 through January 1, 2010 were analyzed. Comparisons were made between the selected books’ portrayals of bullying and aspects of bullying, and bully prevention described in research literature. Information was summarized, including the following details: (a) gender of bully and victim, (b) type of bullying, (c) location of bullying, (d) responses of bystanders and adults, and (e) resolution of bullying problems. Considering this descriptive information, professionals are advised to more selectively recommend books to fit the unique needs of students and encourage desired bullying resolution strategies

Starting apparatus for internal combustion engines

This report is a patent description for a system to start an internal combustion engine. Remote starting and starting by hearing impaired persons are addressed. The system monitors the amount of current being drawn by the starter motor to determine when the engine is started. When the engine is started the system automatically deactivates the starter motor. Five figures are included

Constructing impairment and disability in school reading schemes.

This paper examines the cultural construction of disability detailed within school reading schemes. The study by the employment of proto text analysis followed the ‘reading journeys’ that a four and five year old child experienced during the course of one academic year. The study examined 61 reading books that contained 2199 illustrations, 100 photographs and 1006 pages of text. The major finding of the research is that the reading schemes contained a limited construction of disability and one which was contextualised within medical deficit and narrative prosthesis. The research concludes that school reading schemes are potentially acting as a Trojan horse to introduce a page thin hegemonic that inculcates young children into the systems of dominance and ‘ableist’ agendas which are seemingly replete in our society

Underdiagnosis and referral bias of autism in ethnic minorities

This study examined (1) the distribution of ethnic minorities among children referred to autism institutions and (2) referral bias in pediatric assessment of autism in ethnic minorities. It showed that compared to the known community prevalence, ethnic minorities were under-represented among 712 children referred to autism institutions. In addition, pediatricians (n = 81) more often referred to autism when judging clinical vignettes of European majority cases (Dutch) than vignettes including non-European minority cases (Moroccan or Turkish). However, when asked explicitly for ratings of the probability of autism, the effect of ethnic background on autism diagnosis disappeared. We conclude that the use of structured ratings may decrease the likelihood of ethnic bias in diagnostic decisions of autis

The Unseeing Eye: Disability and the hauntology of Derrida’s ghost. A story in three parts

Through the employment of the three stanzas of Thomas Hardy’s poem ‘The Self-Unseeing’ this paper seeks to tremble the picture of disability located in the pedagogical materials in English Schools. By mobilising, and then reversing, Derrida’s concept of the visor and the ghost, as well as Bentham’s Panopticon, this story reveals the power of the Them, the Their and the They. In materialising the ghost of the real of disability within a utopia of hope this story deconstructs the power of Their transparent house by revealing disabled people as magnificent beings