Are you registered? Look for Ohio DEC board members at the conference!

Ohio DEC will be meeting Thursday 12:15pm-1:15pm at the annual DEC Conference! Check Guidebook for room location!

New picture books to check out this next year!

Why Do Families Change? Our First Talk about Separation and Divorce

Author: Dr. Jillian Roberts
Illustrator: Cindy Revell
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-4598-0951-2

Although many families share similarities, they are all unique and different. Sometimes families go through difficult times and defining and explaining to children about changes may be difficult, discouraging, upsetting, and even frightening. This is a book that explains separation and divorce through simple language and illustrations. The topics in the book cover definitions, an explanation about why separation and divorce happens, discussion about how it is never the child's fault, how this situation will affect the family, and what a child can do to feel better. This one text will not answer all questions a child may have, but it is a good text to have in a bundle with other books about separation, divorce, and other unique situations that may arise in a family.





Still a Family

Author: Brenda Reeves Sturgis
Illustrator: Jo-Shin Lee
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN: 978-0-8075-7707-3

This is a story about a little girl and her family who are homeless and live in a shelter. Mom and the little girl live in a shelter for women and children, and Dad lives in a shelter down the street. Even though they live in different shelters, they are still a family and love each other. The little girl describes what it is like to live, sleep, and play in a shelter. Mom and the little girl will meet Dad at the park to play their favorite games because they are still a family and enjoy spending time together! This is a very special book that should be available in every classroom. At the end of the text, there is a list of organizations for readers to learn more about programs that support the homeless in our communities.




Today I Feel... An Alphabet of Feelings
Author: Madalena Moniz
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2324-7



Twenty-six letters and feelings to discuss. A great text to introduce the first week of school when children may be feeling curious, excited, nervous, quiet, uncertain, and ZZZZ (tired!). At the end of the text, children are invited to share how they feel today! The illustrations provide colorful, creative examples of each emotion! A great text for your classroom this fall!



We Love You Rosie! 
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Linda Davick
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
ISBN: 978-1-44246511-4

Meet Rosie, a puppy who is sometimes good and sometimes,
well, a bit naughty. Rosie loves to play, run, sleep and dream. But occasionally, Rosie likes to eat off the table and make big messes.
Regardless of what Rosie does, her family will always love her! This is a cute text to use to teach prepositions such as good/bad, in/out, day/night, lost/found, and up/down!




The Children's Garden: Growing Food in the City

Author: Carole Lexa Schaefer
Illustrator: Pierr Morgan
Publisher: Little Bigfoot
ISBN: 978-1-57051-984-7


The Children's Garden is a real place in Seattle, Washington where the garden is cared for by the children in the community! The book features diverse children participating in different jobs but working together to tend to this community garden. There are descriptive words and sentences that give children an idea of what the garden may look, feel, smell and taste like! The story walks readers through the materials needed to garden such as tools and rakes to emphasize the hard work that goes into raising a healthy garden.  This would be a fabulous book to buy or borrow to add to you bookshelves this fall and would be a great resource for teaching children vocabulary following the theme of gardening and healthy, naturally grown foods.

University of Cincinnati Research Study: Participants Needed

Special Newsletter Series: Child Maltreatment

ECE Student Contributor Update from Kiersten

Kiersten shared the following reflection to the ODEC board: 

"The practices that I use to ensure everything is family-centered are promote active participation of families, and developing a service plan for families and their child. The ways I promote active participation of families is in the decision-making for their children. I meet with families whenever is needed and always have open communication with families. I am always texting and calling parents for good and bad days with students so they always know what’s going on while their children are at school. The other way is through developing a service plan for families. I sit down with families and create goals that they would like to see their children achieve. We create a plan to achieve them and then have periodic meetings to see how the students are doing to achieve the goal. "

ECE Student Contributor Update: Casey

It is important for educators to be aware of the practices that they are using in the classroom in order to ensure that their interactions and interventions with children are family-centered. Many people do not think about the typical classroom consisting of children with disabilities, and it is important for teachers to include the families of all the children in order to keep them up-to-date about the daily routines necessary for proper inclusion of all students in the classroom. The more opportunities to be involved that the teacher provides families with, the more they can be included and knowledgeable about their student’s life in the school. There are different practices that a teacher can use to ensure this happens, and it is only a matter of willingness among the teacher and families’ parts in order to make those practices effective.  

Since every child is unique in their learning processes, it is important to set goals that are specific to each child and ones that are achievable at the moment. Working with the family of a student to set those goals is an excellent idea, because after all, the parents or guardian know the child best, and they can offer the best information to the teacher that will be beneficial in creating achievable goals. Throughout the school year, the goals can be modified depending on the student’s growth throughout the year. It is important that the teacher is consistently communicating with the family so that each party is staying up-to-date on the student’s growth and progress both at school and at home. Communication is key when it comes to ensuring success for a student, because the learning process does not end in the classroom. There is a wide variety of practices teachers can use to ensure that their interventions with their students are family-centered, and it is important to make sure that those practices are being used correctly and a child-specific. 

Children's Picture Book Highlight

As I have previously mentioned in my last children's book blog, every time I take my children to the library, I check out the new picture books and staff pick sections to see what I can find in terms of diverse characters and/or topics.

Here are some that I have found in the last month! Happy Reading!




I Am a Baby

Author: Kathryn Madeline Allen
Photographer: Rebecca Gizicki
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN- 13: 978-0-8075-3622-3

This is an adorable picture book full of photographs of diverse infants and toddlers. Each page features a child with a familiar object or person that is labeled in short phrases or
sentences that is useful for families in supporting their young child's language development. The pictures include beautiful close-ups and feature a variety of different caregivers and races of children and families.



Ten, Nine, Eight
Author: Molly Bang
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-688-00907-6

This is a Caldecott Honor Book originally published in 1983. It is a counting book featuring a child of color getting ready for bed. This is a great text for counting interactions and vocabulary development for the familiar activities and items needed for the bedtime routine. I especially like this book because it features the child's father affectionately putting the child down for the night. The illustrations are colorful and fun. After reading this text, a caregiver could easily develop a seek-and-find or labeling activity to support understanding and vocabulary.



Say Hello!
Author: Linda Davick
Publisher: Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN-13: 978-1-4814-2867-5

A colorful and simple text featuring the many ways to say hello. The majority of the pages have a range of 3 to 4 words making this a perfect text for infants and toddlers who are not yet able to listen to a longer story. This is also a great text for young children who need more support and examples of ways to show affection without using spoken language. The
illustrations in this text include a variety of digitally created multicultural characters.



Feast for 10
Author: Cathryn Falwell
Publisher: Clarion Books, New York
ISBN- 13: 978-0-395-62037-3

First published in 1993, this is a counting book depicting an African American family first at the grocery selecting food and ingredients to buy and then counting again at home the materials needed for cooking and setting the table for the the family's dinner. The text is developmentally appropriate for very young children and the illustrations are detailed and life-like.

This text is great for discussions about family, grocery and meal preparation routines, and cultural similarities and differences among families.



Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam
Author: Adapted by Fawzia Gilani-Williams
Illustator: Chiara Fedele
Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing
ISBN- 13: 978-1-4677-8938-7

Yaffa is Jewish and Fatima is Muslim. These two women share a very
special friendship! They are similar in that they both live in the Land of Milk and Honey (Israel) and are neighbors. They both own a date grove and sell their dates at the market. During the evenings, they spend time with each other and share their meal from the earnings at the market that day. While Yaffa prays at a synagogue and reads from the Siddur (Jewish Prayer Book), Fatima prays in the mosque and reads from the Qur'an (Islamic Religious Text). They both celebrate holidays and practice fasting. They are more similar, than different!

One year, after excessive rain and a poor harvest, Fatima and Yaffa did not have many dates to sell at the market. They each laid awake in their own beds worrying about the other. They both set out at night secretly with a basket of dates to place into the other's basket unknowing that the other did the very same thing. Both woke up to find more dates in their basket and thought of each other once again. They both set out in the evening once more to fill the basket of their neighbor only to cross paths in the field and witness that they both were sharing dates with each other all along!

This is a very inspiring story that was inspired by a tale from both Jewish and Arab origins. While reading this story, children have the opportunity to discuss cultural elements such as clothing, eating, and religious practices and holidays of people from the Middle East. It is an excellent example of being a good, giving neighbor and friend!



Sam Sorts
Author: Marthe Jocelyn
Publisher: Tundra Books
ISBN- 13: 978-1-101-91805-0

Follow Sam on an adventure as he cleans up his heap of a mess! This picture book includes the counting and sorting of toys that Sam finds. He even places his toys into a Venn diagram! The text features many opportunities for cognitive/mathematics and language activities such as rhymes and descriptive words.


Check out this book trailer for Sam Sorts!

Flowers for Sarajevo
Author: John McCutcheon
Illustrator:  Kristy Caldwell
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
ISBN- 13: 978-1-56145-943-8

This is a text more appropriate for our K-3 population about a boy named Drasko living in a war torn city of Sarajevo (currently in Bosnia-Herzegovina). Sarajevo has previously been a city of Yugoslavia and prior to that, Austria-Hungry. Drasko and his father, Milo sell beautiful, fragrant flowers at the marketplace. After Milo leaves to serve in the war, Drasko is left to sell the family's flowers at the marketplace by himself. One day, a mortar hit the bakery in the marketplace taking the lives of 22 people simply waiting for bread.

The next day, a cellist played  in front of the bakery among the rubble uniting the different people (Serbs, Croats, Muslims, and Christians)
through music. The cellist played at 10:00 AM everyday for 22 days in memory of each victim
of the attack. At the end of the story, Drasko leaves the flowers left over one day at the bakery in memory of the victims, at the orchestra's door in honor of the cellist, and at his father's seat at the dinner table. He wanted to be like his father and the cellist, and make his home, Sarahevo, beautiful again.

Flowers for Sarajevo is a useful text to teach school-aged children about conflicts around the world as well as teaching empathy for situations our friends, family, and members of our community may have experienced during times of war and violence. A CD accompanies this text so children have the opportunity to listen to John McCutchen sing "Streets of Sarajevo" accompanied by the cellist, Vedran Smailović. Listen to the sample here.



Pablo Finds a Treasure
Author: Andree Poulin
Illustrator: Isabelle Malenfant
Publisher: Annick Press
ISBN: 978-1-55451-867-8

Pablo and his sister, Sofia, go to the landfill to find recyclables for their
mother to sell at the local market in order to put food on the table for dinner. As they collect these recyclables, they also look for "hidden treasures" such as the blue boot, a book, or the two carrots to eat. Pablo looks through a garbage bag that is partially opened and finds a gold chain. Pablo and Sofia dream of what their mother will be able to buy from the market after selling
this gold chain. But then, a man who has been named, Filthy Face, sees them and demands that they hand over their entire collection. As they heading back home, Sofia is upset with Pablo for not giving her
the chain so she could hide it in her shoe. Once they get home and their mother asks what is wrong, Pablo opens his mouth to reveal that he still had the gold chain after all.

Prior to the start of the story on the copyright page, there is a note about how children in parts Central and South America, Asia and Africa are unable to attend school and are forced to work in harsh conditions to help their family earn money. Like Flowers for Sarajevo, this is a great text for our elementary population to teach about global issues and empathy towards classmates, neighbors, and families in our community who may have grown up or experienced similar situations as Pablo and Sofia.



All Kinds of Families
Author: Norma Simon
Illustator: Sarah S. Brannen
Publish: Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN: 978-0-8075-0286-0

Originally published in 1976, this picture book was evolved and in 2016, released a 40th Anniversary Edition with updated illustrations. This story is beautifully written and includes an inclusive description of the diverse families we may see in our community. Not only does this text feature diverse illustrations of families in terms of appearances, but also includes illustrations suggesting the birth and adoption of a child, terminal illness, death,
new marriages and separation/divorce, and military deployment. It would be a great introductory text to assist in the facilitation of discussions of family
life and issues.



Hop, Hop, Jump!
Author: Lauren Thompson
Illustrator: Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9745-0

This is a fun, active text to read to young children to get
them up and moving. There are four characters in this
picture book that model a movement with a labeled body part. Because it involves different body parts, the story could be read in a way that modifies the movements so that a child with limited movement abilities may be able to participate.




Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes 

Author: Roseanne Thong
Illustrator: Grace Lin
Publisher: Chronicle Books, LLC
ISBN: 978-0-8118-2676-1

This is a book about shapes poetically written featuring objects with Asian cultural significance from East Asia.
This is a useful text for discussions about the similarities and differences in cultural traditions, routines, foods, art, games, toys, clothing, and pets.




Little Frog and the Scary Autumn Thing
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Ellen Shi
Publisher: Persnickety Press
ISBN- 13: 978-1943978-01-4


This little frog loves green, the pond, his mother and father, but is terrified of something that is happening to her environment. The trees are turning colors and little frog is scared of the colors gold and red! Follow little frog as she experiences her first autumn and feel her emotions as she sees things happening around her for the very first time. Life can be overwhelming and scary. It is okay to have these feelings especially when experiencing something new, different or strange. This picture book is useful in
teaching young children that new situations and transitions can be scary, but once we experience them, we can learn to accept them. Some of us may need more supports than others. :)







By: Sara Marker, ODEC President

New Student Contributor: Caitlynn

When people first think about children with disabilities being placed in a typical classroom, they may have negative thoughts or think that it might affect the other students in that classroom negatively. People might even think that it is not possible. The real answer is that it is a great thing to happen for both the children with disabilities and the students that are in the typical classroom.

A great technique to use is an activity matrix. It sounds complex, but it is something any educator can use and can be used with any child. This technique gives the students a structure during the daily routine and what to expect. Each activity matrix is individualized to fit the needs of the student. This helps the students achieve goals that are set between them and the teacher. Other students do not even have to realize that the student has an activity matrix. The main thing for teachers to remember is to keep the students needs, interests, and cultural perspectives in mind when planning strategies to use to embed learning opportunities for children with disabilities.

Emma's Blog #2: How do you embed learning opportunities for children with disabilities in the typical activities of your K-3 classrooms?

I believe that it is very important to embed as many learning opportunities as you can for children with disabilities in the typical activities in K-3 classrooms. In my classroom, I do not have any children with severe disabilities. I do have a couple of students who are on IEPs and have a diagnosis of ADHD. For these students, I try very hard to give them learning opportunities in typical activities during the day. I work one-on-one with a student who has ADHD. We use a behavior checklist throughout individual activities to help him focus and stay on task. This has seemed to improve his motivation quite a bit. 

After giving him a few assessments to find out what he really struggles with, I thought of strategies to embed those learning opportunities throughout the day. His three biggest struggles are focus, writing conventions, and memorizing multiplication facts. In the morning when he comes in, I ask him about his night before we begin to start his day positively. I continue to talk to him throughout the day asking him questions to engage him.

 During transitions during the full day, I embed several multiplication facts as we walk to and from specials and lunch. During reading time, instead of telling him to turn to a specific page number, I will tell him to turn to the page that is the product of 9x3. This helps him stay focused and gives him the opportunity to practice those facts. To give him the opportunity to work on writing conventions, I incorporate several writing practices into the day. On some days, his morning work will involve writing and editing. Usually it is writing about something that interests him, so that he is more motivated to write. All of these strategies gives this student learning opportunities that will benefit him and help him grow. 

ECE Student Contributor: Kiersten's Blog #2

In the third grade classroom I am observing, the students, who have disabilities, are only in the classroom a couple times throughout the day.  The students come in for the beginning morning meeting and then leave until lunch and recess.  During morning meeting, we get into a circle and greet each other.  All our students love this because it usually includes some sort of mini-activity or game.  It’s a good way for our students to start the day and let out a little energy before we start.   

When our students with disabilities come back for special (art, gym, keyboarding, etc.), lunch and recess, they are again back into typical activities.  During specials, they have a different teacher that runs that special for that day.  There is also a different teacher for lunch and recess so we don’t get to see what that looks like for our students.  I am usually outside for recess and our students usually always want us to watch them or play with them.  They are lots of fun outside and love running around and getting out energy.   

During the day, our students with disabilities go into the multi-sensory room with another teacher and other students.  The student’s love going there and get to play in the sensory room all day.  They also work on different school subjects and different social skills and cues that they need to work on.  It’s an awesome program that the school has and it’s one of the only schools that have this program in the area. 

At the end of the day, the students come back and get ready to leave for the day alongside the rest of the class.  They get on the buses or go with the walkers to their home.  This system at the school works very well; although, I would like to eventually see all students in one classroom all day.

Student Guest Blogger: Embedded Learning Opportunities by Casey

First of all, I find that the best way for a teacher to embed learning opportunities for children with disabilities during the typical activities in the classroom is by knowing and understanding the student’s specific needs and putting the most effective strategies into place. Children with disabilities have the right to participate in the typical activities as the rest of the class, and it is the teacher’s job to make sure that the child is receiving any necessary modifications and adaptations during the activity in order to promote successful learning.  

Planning is also an important part of a teacher’s day, and this can help the teacher to know ahead of time how to incorporate learning opportunities for children with disabilities into a typical activity. The teacher can think about what the typical school day looks like, and then from there, come up with different ways to embed learning opportunities throughout the day by thinking about how even a small occurrence during the day can offer the student an opportunity to learn. For instance, a student who is struggling to grasp the concept of time and the understanding of how to read a clock, can be asked different questions throughout the school day relating to time. The teacher may say something like, 

“Okay class, it’s time to line up for a restroom break. Before each one of you walks out the door, I will give you a time, and you will move the minute and hour hands on the clock I am holding to show what that time looks like on a clock.” 

This is an example of a teacher embedding a learning opportunity, not only for children with disabilities, but for the other students in the class as well. I am sure that as I continue my journey to become a teacher, as well as when I actually am a teacher, I will find new and different ways in which to embed learning opportunities for children with disabilities during a typical activity in the classroom.  

Student Guest Blogger: Kenzie's Blog #2

In my experiences this year, I have not had children with disabilities in my classroom. Even though I have not had children with disabilities in my K-3 classrooms, I have had to really learn how to make accommodations and adaptations for all learners in my classroom. I have had to adapt the environment, activities, materials and even provide hands-on assistance to learners. This experience of providing adaptations will help me be able to truly support children with disabilities in the future.  

To help my students, I have had to adapt a variety of materials in my lessons. For example, I have had to provide a “Wiggle Seat Inflatable Sensory Chair Cushion” for one of my lessons. This tool allowed the child to stay seated for a longer period of time. This is a way for the child to release physical energy without any distraction to their same-aged peers. I’ve had to adapt the environment by using a “wedge” to provide seating during our circle time activities. This allows every child to participate and engage in the lesson. I have had to adapt materials, by adding a movement activity in order to help children who have difficulty paying attention. I also provide assistance in the form of peer-assistance, such as “buddy reading”, so that children may engage socially and learn to read together.   

Check out the resources at http://www.dec-sped.org/resources

All in all, I have learned that every great educator needs to provide adaptations and accommodations for every single learner in his or her classroom. Whether you are working with children with or without disabilities, adaptations should be present in learning daily. In order to provide accurate and effective adaptations for the children in your classroom, you must get to truly know your students. Using resources such as the child’s caregivers and other professionals that interact with the child, and the internet can even be a great source. I hope to use some of these adaptations to effectively work with children with disabilities in my future career.  

Guest ECE Student Blogger: Emma

"During the month of February, I had the opportunity to work with a third grade student who receives additional reading intervention.  I have observed him in an inclusive classroom setting and he seems to struggle with reading, writing, and focus.  I have listened to him read and recognized his struggle with fluency, recognition, and decoding words.  I have also read his writing pieces and assisted him with several writing pieces.  He has a hard time spelling and using correct punctuation.  

DEC (2015)

I have also recognized that this student has a hard time staying focused.  After brainstorming strategies to help him focus, I have found that the best strategy for him is to give him short, structured breaks.  He will have a specific time to work on a writing assignment, and then he gets 5 minutes to read or simply relax before continuing the assignment.  I have found that giving him breaks has been extremely effective and has helped him stay focused on the given assignment. 

Socially, I have observed that this student is more reserved and independent in the classroom.  He does not seem to have any problems communicating and socializing with his peers and teachers.  The students are often given the choice to work independently, work with a partner or work with a small group.  I noticed that this student usually chooses to work independently more than he chooses to work with peers. When I was in the classroom last week, he chose to read with me during read-to-partner time.  This gave me a great opportunity to observe him further and really get to know him. 

In terms of his behavior, he tends to be inconsistent.  On some days, he has great behavior.  On other days, he struggles with following directions and staying on task.  In most cases, I have observed his eagerness to share and respond in whole-class discussions. 

I implemented a whole-class lesson last week and noticed that this student wanted to share his thinking the whole time.  He is great at raising his hand to talk.  From the beginning, this student has really stood out to me in a special way.  Despite his struggles, he is extremely eager to learn and improve on new skills.  He is a great student who loves to read and share his stories.  I truly enjoy talking to him and listening to his stories.  I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with this student and help him grow." 

Guest ECE Student Blogger: Kenzie

A New Perspective  

"Hello, I am Kenzie and I am a junior studying early childhood education at Ohio University. I have had a vast amount of classroom experience, but one of the most memorable moments occurred what seems like a lifetime ago. In high school, I was in a program that let high school students shadow a working professional. The possibilities were endless, and we were allowed to choose any profession that interested us. I immediately knew I wanted to be inside a classroom.

  

I was placed at a nearby elementary school only a few minutes from my high school. All I had was the teacher’s name and what time I needed to be there. I had truly no idea what to expect. When I walked in, I was greeted with over 20 smiling faces and even a few hugs. I quickly realized how fast-paced kindergarten was. We were learning about numbers and then letter sounds, and it was activity after activity. Next thing I know, it’s lunch time and I am sitting down having lunch with my teacher. She was talking about the school and how she really enjoys working in an inclusive school.  

DEC (2015)

It suddenly hit me. I was in an inclusive classroom and I didn’t even know. An inclusive classroom means that children with developmental delays and disabilities are in the same general education classroom with students without disabilities. I spent half of the day with these children and did not realize what was happening around me. I truly learned that day that kids are kids. They all like to color, love snack time, and get smiles on their faces when they suddenly get that one math problem right. The benefits of an inclusive classroom are significant, but the greatest benefit of all is children with disabilities have the chance to finally be treated just like their same-aged peers.  

*Note: I understand that children with disabilities and developmental delays require more accommodations than their same-aged peers. This was just about the fact that no matter the diagnosis a child may have, every child should be given the opportunity to be treated with love, equality, and respect. It is in my humble opinion, that an inclusive classroom setting can do just that."