Connection
By Katherine A. Jankowski, Ph.D.
The story takes place in small village that can be located anywhere, even here at the Clerc Center. In this little village, people only had enough food for themselves. One day, two travelers came to the village asking for food. They were tired and hungry from a long journey. They knocked on the doors of the village. They knocked on door after door, hoping to find people who would share even just a bit of food with them. No one was willing to offer anything. The villagers had just enough for themselves and their families. After trying many times, the travelers gave up and sat down to rest. One of the travelers thought that if there was really no food in the village, they should make their magical soup. They announced to the villagers that they were master cooks and that if anyone had a big pot, they would make the most delicious soup anyone had ever tasted. A door slowly opened and a man brought out an enormous pot. The travelers built a fire and filled the
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The Clerc Center
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
Volume 7 Issue 1 August - September 2005
“Bring What You’ve Got and Put It In The Pot!”
Welcome to the 2005 school year! I hope you had a great summer and that you are all ready for the new school year. Special thanks to the many people who worked hard during the summer to get things in top condition for this new school year. To start the school year, I would like to share a story with you, the Stone Soup story. I'm sure many of you know this story, which has been told in many forms over the years. It is a story that relates the arrival of travelers in a village and the inspiring lesson of cooperation that transpired. Several versions have evolved for this story. In the French version, the travelers were soldiers and the townspeople were fearful of being generous because of the ravages of war. The Chinese version has monks as the travelers and incorporates traditional folklore and lessons into the story. There is also a Mexican version that relates the making of a delicious cactus soup instead of stone soup. The Russian story uses an ax instead of a stone. Inside this issue
New School Year, New Portfolio! MSSD Science Department Project: An Ozone Garden; Creating a Literacy-Rich Environment The SAT vs. The ACT; In a City Full of Acronyms, What’s a Few More? Welcome to Our New Teachers and Staff at the Clerc Center Clerc Center Summer 2005 The Clerc Center Community Bulletin Board Zoom In On … Phyllis Ballenger, Juniper Sussman ASL Corner: ASL Poetry, KUDOS
pot with water. Soon the water was boiling and steam arose from the pot. The villagers began to gather and asked what the travelers were making. One of the travelers responded, "We're making an unusual soup. It requires a magical ingredient. I am sure we will find it in this town." They watched in amazement as one of the travelers picked up an ordinary stone. He tossed the stone into the pot and said, "We're making stone soup. It will be nutritious, delicious, incredible and edible! But it would taste better if only we had a carrot. However, if there is no carrot, we'll just have to do without it.” A child raised her hand and said, "I might have a carrot." "Great! Bring what you've got and put it in the pot," said the traveler. "This is going to be delicious. But it would be better if we had a potato." Someone from the back cried out, "I have a potato." Another villager brought green beans, while another some corn. Still another brought some egg noodles. One by one, the villagers brought what they had - celery, pepper, parsley, turnips and so on. Everyone in town contributed whatever they could to the soup and soon the pot was full and sim(Continued on page 2)
The Clerc Center Connection Bring what you’ve got… (Continued from page 1)
mering. Then people brought out bowls, spoons, chairs and tables. They placed loaves of bread, chunks of cheese and bowls of fruit on the tables. Everyone tasted the soup and marveled at the flavor. They commended the travellers for such a great tasting soup. But the travelers replied, "No, we didn't make the soup at all. Each and every one of us made this delicious soup. We did it together." The story of stone soup celebrates the importance of bringing people and resources together to successfully accomplish a goal. Great things can be accomplished when people are inspired and motivated and when they put their resources together. I'd like to invite you all to help create a delicious Clerc Center soup. This soup represents student achievement for deaf and hard of hearing students here and throughout the United States. Ask yourself: What does the soup need? What can you bring today? Any soup needs the essentials - carrots, potatoes, onions. At the Clerc Center, these essentials are your skills. You are great teachers, counselors, family educators, transition specialists and so forth - that's why you're here. You bring your expertise and your students benefit from them. The whole Clerc Center benefits from your contribution. What will make the soup taste even better? What can you bring tomorrow? The best soups have more than the essentials. They have unique spices and herbs. The Clerc Center soup is like no other soup. So every day, bring your expertise and put it in the pot. These are the essentials. But what will make the Clerc Center soup truly unique? Think about something different you could bring. Every one of you has other skills and talents that are of value. Contribute new and innovative ideas. Share new ways of doing things—the Clerc Center soup will be even better because you tried something new. What's missing from the soup today? Yesterday, the soup had plenty of potatoes. Today, everyone thought someone else would take care of the potatoes, but no one brought any. As a part of the Clerc Center community, it is our responsibility to see what is needed and help fill the need. Whose job is it to stop students from running in the halls? It is our job. Whose job is it to share our work with educators and families around the nation? It is our job. We are all responsible for our goals, our students' achievement, and our soup. Every day, check to see what is needed, then share what you have to satisfy the need. How can I share the recipe? One day the village had the best soup ever, so they told other villages about their soup so they could enjoy it as well. At the Clerc Center, if you have an idea and you share it with your students, ten students will benefit from it. Suppose tomorrow, you share your idea with your colleague and the idea is used with another ten
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students. Now twenty students are benefiting from your idea. What if next week you share the idea with other schools? Now hundreds of students will benefit from your idea. Imagine the impact we could have if we all shared just one idea every day. We have an enormous pool of resources, talents, skills and experience here at the Clerc Center. We can have a great impact on the lives of deaf and hard of hearing students here and across the country. That's why you're here - every one of you - to benefit students nationwide. Every day I challenge you to think: What did I bring today? What can I bring tomorrow? What's missing today? How can I share the recipe? So… bring what you've got and throw it in the pot! Have a great year!
Volume 7 Issue 1
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New School Year, New Portfolio! By Naomi Zowader
New developments with the Portfolios for Student Growth (PSG) are in place this school year. Teachers, students and staff can expect to find the portfolios more responsive to their needs. So what’s new and different with PSG this year?
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Emotional Intelligence forms will be completed during the first and third quarters. During the second and fourth quarters, students will review and update their responses. Revision of the PSG Student Guide to make it more useful to more students. It will be ready for distribution soon. A mid-year presentation for Sophomore and Junior students
work done for the portfolio. This may be a way to help students understand why their paper needs revisions and how they should go about changing it (from Margaret Klotz and Myra Yanke, acting MSSD principal). The forms can be prepared and kept in a central location (from David Warn, English teacher/ researcher). Last but not least, here’s the schedule of meetings for advisors: Freshmen advisors meet every first Tuesday of the month, starting October 4. Sophomore advisors meet every the second Thursday of the month, starting October 13. Junior advisors meet every second Tuesday of the month starting October 11. Senior advisors meet every first Thursday of the month starting October 6. If you have questions, please contact Naomi.Zowader@gallaudet. edu.
A section called “All About Me” where students have a chance to show what they value about themselves, their abilities and skills, and their world A new curriculum developed during the summer by former MSSD teachers Heather Jilao and Linda McCarty that will develop foundational skills for success with portfolio, school, and real life Student portfolios and Senior Projects happening during advisory period, 2:35 to 3:05pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday Several forms which have two or three variations to better serve students’ needs Some forms do not need to be completed each year by the student: The Personal Information Profile will be completed in the first year then edited annually until their senior year when they will complete a new, clean and neat final copy. The Communication Profile will be completed every other year, with revisions in between. A final draft will be completed during the senior year.
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In addition, some suggestions have been proposed: It may be beneficial for students to give another presentation of their end of the year project at the start of the next school year. This may help them revisit where they were last year and remind them of what the portfolio process is all about. It will also be helpful for the new students to see these presentations so they know where all their portfolio work is leading (from Margaret Klotz, MSSD English teacher/ researcher). We can start using the terminology of 6 + 1 when working with students’ reflections and other written
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First Quarter Thinking Skills: Critical Thinking What is critical thinking? The ability to obtain, apply, synthesize, and categorize information based on fact and evidence. What are examples of critical thinking that students could use as evidence? A worksheet of analogies Venn diagrams Compare and contrast essay Pro and con debate arguments of a debate or pro/con list for making a decision Categorization of states during the Civil War
The Clerc Center Connection
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MSSD Science Department Project: An Ozone Garden
By Del Wynne
The MSSD Science Department is looking forward to the 2005-2006 school year. Courses in the areas of life science, physical science, chemistry, biology and earth system science will be offered again and an exciting new project is in the making. During this fall and spring, the MSSD science teachers will work with students to plant and grow ozone-sensitive plants. Students will learn to observe how plants respond to ozone, record data, and take measurements of ozone in the air. This project is the result of four MSSD science teacher/researchers’ participation in a unique seminar called "Every Breath You Take: GLOBE Surface Ozone Measurements and Using Sensitive Plants as Bioindicators of Ozone Pollution." Mary Ellsworth, Kamilla Jakubowyc, Jon Lamberton and Mark Tao attended the ozone seminar held from Aug 18 to 21 at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) in Cullowhee, North Carolina (See photo story on page 8). This seminar was a collaborative partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation for Benefit of the Environment) Program; the Great Smoky Mountains National Pa rk (GSM N P); an d NCCAT. Most of the 23 participants were science teachers from science-related programs across the country while the others were from museums and science education centers. The seminar was designed to: (a) field test and refine a new GLOBE protocol for identifying how to measure ozone in the air; (b) teach how to identify ozoneinjured plants; and (c) help the participants explore partnerships between GLOBE, NASA, the National Park Service, and other educational organizations. MSSD students and teachers are collaborating with the project’s principal investigators, Irene Ladd from the NASA Langley Research Center in VA, and Susan Sachs from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park North Carolina, The two scientists were looking to collaborate with schools and requested the participation of MSSD. Results from the Ozone Garden study will be shared with the Clerc Center community periodically.
Creating A Literacy Rich Environment By Jane Baldi
As we navigate through the plethora of information that we receive at the start of every new school year, we have the pleasure of also getting to know our students. September is a month of transition but it is also an opportunity to start anew. With STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT as our ultimate goal, here are a couple of ideas for getting started on the right track: MAKE YOUR CLASSROOM, OFFICE OR WORK SPACE A LITERACY- RICH ENVIRONMENT. Students love to see their work displayed and they also enjoy reading other students’ writing. Keep the work current, so that it is meaningful and unique. Use colorful paper and posters to jazz up your office door, classroom wall or bulletin board so that students can READ something informative or fun while they are waiting for their appointment or next class. You will be surprised at how much learning happens incidentally this way! BE A ROLE MODEL TO YOUR STUDENTS. Show them that reading can be fun and informative by sharing with them what you are reading and how often and why you write. READ during silent reading time and show emotion while doing so. If you are reading something amusing—laugh! If something you are reading is unbelievable or makes you crazy, shake your head in disbelief. In other words, interact with the text so that students can make connections. They will emulate you. If you are a poet or expert letter writer, show your students your work. Write with them, whether it’s the alphabet or an essay. Our students look up to us more than we realize, so practicing what we preach carries a lot of weight!
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Volume 7 Issue 1
Creating a literacy … (Continued from
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EQ-ly Yours
Next time, we’ll talk about 6+1Traits: Writing and Assessment and suggestions for using it in the classroom and in everyday situations. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions (jane.baldi@ gallaudet.edu).
The SAT vs. the ACT: Details You Might Want to Know!
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) DESCRIPTION: A test, about 4 hours long, that includes word analogies, algebra and reading passages. Writing test included. COST: $41.50 LATE FEE: $20.00 STUDENTS WHO DO WELL are those with strong vocabulary and good on reasoning problems. SCORING: Scale of 200-800 in each section; with writing test, the highest possible score is 2400. ADMINISTERED nationally. Gallaudet accepts minimum score of 500 but student must have strong recommendations and a 3.0 GPA or above. American College Test (ACT) DESCRIPTION: A test, about 3 hours long, on what is actually taught in high school. Test has four sections: English, Math, Reading and Science. Optional writing test is available. COST: $29.00 LATE FEE: $20.00 STUDENTS WHO DO WELL are those who do well in school but not in taking tests and those who have good science knowledge. SCORING: On a scale of 1-36. ADMINISTERED thru MSSD’s Transition Services. Gallaudet accepts minimum score of 13 but student must have strong recommendations and a 3.0 GPA or above.
Adapted from The Wall Street Journal, March 2005 by MSSD Transition Services
I joke with my friends that it’s fitting for our city’s name to be an acronym since everywhere we turn that’s all we see. If I’m at a party and I ask someone where they work I usually hear, “Oh, I’m at the OMB in the OEOB” or “I work at NHTSA at the DOT.” I do a quick Google search in my brain and usually the correct links appear: OMB = Office of Management and Budget OEOB = Old Executive Office Building NHTSA = National Highway Traffic Safety Administration DOT = Department of Transportation So it is with great joy that when people ask me about my work I tell them that part of my responsibility is that I am an EQ AFG APL for MSSD and KDES. Are you googling yet? Let me help: EQ = Emotional Intelligence AFG = Accreditation for Growth APL = Action Plan Leader (not usually an acronym) MSSD = Model Secondary School for the Deaf KDES = Kendall Demonstration Elementary School “How in the world does this alphabet soup apply to me?” one might ask. Well, it is our hope that everyone in the Clerc Center Community (CCC) will be personally invested in the growth of our students’ emotional intelligence. And perhaps all of us could use some self-reflection and growth. We have a lot to get excited about this school year. Our mid-cycle review is this November. And as the year progresses, we hope you will become more familiar and comfortable with the concepts and language of EQ. Here’s what you can do to help out: 1. Take time to familiarize yourself with the 5 areas of EQ (Handling Emotions, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Motivation, and Social Skills). 2. Read over the EQ action plan and keep up to date on what’s happening. 3. Look for ways to incorporate EQ into your classroom and daily responsibilities. 4. Make the EQ vocabulary part of your daily conversations. If you have ideas to further promote EQ, please share them with us. So to all our HWLCCSAT we wish you a FAPNSY! HWLCCSAT = Hard Working Laurent Clerc Center Staff and Teachers FAPNSY = Fun and Prosperous New School Year (But you already knew those, didn’t you?) EQ-ly yours, AG, JS, IS (Alexis Greeves, Jessica Sandle and Irvine Stewart)
In a City Full of Acronyms, What’s a Few More? By Alexis Greeves
The Clerc Center Connection
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Clerc Center Summer 2005
Honors Program Holds First Summit 2005
Thirty-five high school students from across the country participated in the first Summit 2005: An Academic and Leadership Camp conducted by the MSSD Honors Program. The two-week seminar, held from June 20 to July 1,engaged sophomore, junior, and senior students in advanced placement classes in English, history and biology plus leadership discussions and simulations. They also participated in a journey through deaf history and a weekend tour of Washington, DC. The Summit aims to provide opportunities for students to develop leadership skills and a better understanding of advanced placement courses. For more information on Summit 2006, contact Honors Program Coordinator, Daniel Dukes at Daniel.Dukes@gallaudet.edu.
Extended School Year Program Explores Amusement Parks
Students who attended the three-week Extended School Year Program at the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School had a blast this summer. They explored amusement parks as the theme of their study. For three weeks, starting June 20 and ending on July 22, students from Team 4/5 and Team 6/7/8 guided by their teachers and staff studied and researched specific information about amusement parks around the area, particularly Six Flags in Maryland. They gathered information, read and wrote about topics related to amusement parks, planned their trip to Six Flags and raised funds through car washes, and bake and ice cream sales to support their trip to the park. After their trip to the park on July 14, the students did a presentation about their theme as well as their experiences at Six Flags and created a regular blog for Team 4/5 (http://clercblog.gallaudet.edu/gabrielle/ index.html), a vlog (video blog) for Team 6/7/8 (http://clercblog.gallaudet.edu/esy/ index.html) and a movie (http:// clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/iscs/esy.htm) that made their summer study all the more memorable.
Volume 7 Issue 1
Clerc Center Summer 2005 … (continued from page 6)
CIEC Conducts Visual Phonics Seminar
Cochlear Implant Education Center (CIEC) coordinator Debra Nussbaum discusses strategies during the conference on “Spoken Language and Sign: Optimizing Learning for Children with Cochlear Implants.” Teachers from several schools across the country attended the seminar from June 22 to 24, held at the Student Academic Center at Gallaudet University. The seminar will be held again next year. For more information log on to http:// clercenter.gallaudet.edu/ciec/ index.html.
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Summer Literacy Institute
Professional Development Coordinator Charles Kelley presents during the Summer Literacy Institute conducted by the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. Teachers, students, speech pathologists and administrators from schools across the country attended the training, held at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf from June 27 to 30. The next Summer Literacy Institute will be held June 26-30, 2006 at Gallaudet University. For more information log on to http:/clerccenter.gallaudet. edu/tpd/index.html.
MSSD Science Teacher/Researchers Participate in “Every Breath You Take” Seminar
MSSD teacher/researchers Mary Ellsworth, Kamilla Jacubowyc, Jon Lamberton, and Mark Tao attended a unique seminar last summer called “Every Breath You Take: GLOBE Surface Ozone Measurements and Using Sensitive Plants as Bioindicators of Ozone Pollution” in Cullowhee, North Carolina. They field tested a new GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) protocol for measuring ozone in the air and learned how to identify injuries to plants. Photo shows Mark Tao (left) and Kamilla Jacubowyc (right) identifying ozone injuries to a coneflower.
ASL Corner By Dennis Berrigan
ASL Poetry
ASL poetry is gaining wide exposure not only in the classrooms but in literacy circles around the country. It was originally inspired by ABC handshape stories of deaf communities. Through the ABC handshape stories which have been popular among ASL users over the years, ASL poetry emerged. The study and use of ASL poetry was a result of works of former Gallaudet professor Dr. Clayton Valli (1951-2003) and other deaf poets like Ella Mae Lentz, Pat Graybill, and Gil Eastman. In a first of its kind videotape on ASL poetry, Valli(http:// www.dawnsign.com/support/ aslpoetry.html#9) explains that “movement captures us. ASL poetry has the capacity to impact our feelings and thoughts. Signs expressed in this rich and complex language deeply portray the experience of the ASL poet, and through the poet, the deaf experience is unveiled.” ASL poetry often consists of a limited number of handshapes that are used to reflect rhyme, movement to show rhythm, and stanza through slight pause. It involves metaphor and symbols. ASL poetry tends to be short and is best documented on videotape for viewing and analysis. Good ASL poetry requires a creative mind with good ASL skills. Everyone can learn it. It can be taught in classrooms. Who knows - we might have Robert Frosts in ASL poetry in the future! There are several ASL poetry videotapes at the Gallaudet library. Watching them with your students can foster an appreciation of deaf art and deaf culture. It will also provide inspiration to students who are inclined in the arts and literature. For more information on ASL poetry, I recommend: -ASL Poetry: Selected Works of Clayton Valli (Dawn Sign Press, http://www.dawnsign.com/ shopping/Detail.cfm? ProductID=128) -Poetry in Motion: Original Works in ASL by Clayton Valli (Sign Media, Inc., http://signmedia.com) -ASL Poetry Product Support http://www.dawnsign.com/support/ aslpoetry.html#9) Next issue: The newly formed ASL Center at Clerc Center.
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center Gallaudet University 800 Florida Ave., NE Washington, DC 20002-3695 E-mail: training.clerccenter@gallaudet.edu Phone: 202-651-5842 Fax: 202-651-5857 E-mail: Elizabeth.Meynardie@gallaudet.edu Rosalinda.Ricasa@gallaudet.edu
Produced for the Clerc Center by the Offices of Training and Professional Development & Publications and Information Dissemination
Find Connection on the web at:
http:// clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/ tpd/news/index.html
KUDOS!!! (Commendations from the people we serve)
“Awesome magazine (Odyssey)” - Lisa Ciccarelli, Strasburg, PA “Will you please add my name to the e-list. This (Clerc Center e-newsletter) has some really uplifting stories. Thanks. I am always looking for sites and news stories to add to my website.” - Sandy Matthews, San Antonio, TX; http://sadeafnews.tripod.com “Excellent and engaging brief history of Gallaudet University (Clerc Center Info To Go publication)! Thank you!” - onarollmm@aol.com “I have multiple links to Info to Go in articles, plus I refer About.Com visitors to Info to Go resources all the time.” - Jamie Berke, deafness.guide@about.com “I appreciate your Clerc Center e-newsletter, and especially the information that is posted at "Info to Go.” I've referred this site to a very significant number of people who contact OSD for information. Thank you for making this available to us!” - Janet E. Johanson, Oregon School for the Deaf; Salem, OR I just went through the (KWDN) website and it's very impressive., very thorough! Congratulations. Many thanks.” - Bev Biderman, The Canadian Hearing Society, Toronto, Canada "Can't believe this, too good to be true (Re: free subscription to Odyssey)." - Judith Usenik, itinerant teacher
Highlights
Reading to Deaf Children: Learning from Deaf Adults June 4 Montana School for the Deaf and Blind Great Falls, Missouri Presenter: Ricky Suiter Internet-Enabled Technologies: Access to the Future July 11 16th Biennial International TDI Conference New Orleans, Louisiana Presenters: Cary Barbin and Karen Peltz-Strauss Words of Greeting on Behalf of the Clerc Center and Gallaudet University July 12 American Society for Deaf Children Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Presenter: Tara Downing Spoken Language & Sign: Optimizing Learning for Children with Cochlear Implants September 28 Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, Massachusetts Presenters: Debra Nussbaum, Susanne Scott, and Mary Koch
National Mission
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center Summer and Aug/Sept 2005
See the Sound: Visual Phonics September 30 Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, Massachussetts Presenters: Bettie Waddy-Smith and Vanessa Wilson Literacy—It All Connects September 30 Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind Tucson, Arizona Presenter: Dave Schleper Leading from Behind: Language Experience in Action September 30 Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind Tucson, Arizona Presenter: Betsy Meynardie
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center Gallaudet University 800 Florida Ave., NE Washington, DC 20002-3695 E-mail: training.clerccenter@gallaudet.edu
Highlights is intended to present a comprehensive listing of all trainingrelated activities conducted by Clerc Center personnel. TPD maintains a central “clearinghouse” of such information. Therefore, please inform Lisa Jacobs, outreach specialist, of any training or technical assistance that you are involved with. We will make sure to publicize these in future publications of Highlights. Jacobs can be reached at Lisa.Jacobs@gallaudet.edu or x5855.