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Presenter(s)
Jacquelyn Clark, M.A., CCC-SLP
419-800-6975
Success in reading is often the result of a student's enthusiasm for the material being read. This is especially important in the special needs classroom. Relevant reading material--new, stimulating information--spurs conversational development, a fact well supported in the professional research.
One product available today seems to provide the spark that engages the special needs reader. News-2-You is a current events newspaper featuring contemporary news that truly captures student interest. The Internet-delivered paper combines simple text with BoardMaker-style graphics. It is special education's version of The Weekly Reader, its sole source of up-to-date world news culled weekly for its appropriateness and educational relevance.
According to a 2002 federal study* a typical teacher devotes 4.6 hours of her/his day to "preparing services" along with an additional 1.7 hours "reading background material" and a staggering 7.1 hours to "paperwork". As caseloads soar, the message is clear: educators, now more than ever, are strapped for time. Preparation time has become a critical resource, a commodity which could and should be better allocated to teaching students--and meeting the rigorous standards of NCLB.
Again, News-2-You provides the answer. The 40-50 page newspaper comes to the subscriber ready to use and ready to integrate in the weekly lesson plan. The educator simply downloads the paper from the website and distributes it to the students. No complicated software to master. No arcane computer skills required, just access to the Internet and the imagination to weave the material into virtually every facet of the IEPs.
Anecdotal evidence abounds: News-2-You works! It positively affects three of the five components of a successful reading program: fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. It effectively links special education to the vast outside world better than any educational tool on the market today. Its continuing emphasis on new information (information of genuine interest to the students) stimulates conversation as no other communication resource can.
The presenter will set up the classroom origins of the product. She will then establish the important role News-2-You is playing in thousands of classrooms across America. The presenter will follow with an on-line demonstration of some of the innovative teaching strategies that are currently based on the paper. The session closes with a presentation review and a brief Q&A time.
Reference: *24th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2002, Washington, D.C.
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