"I wish I had this book when I started teaching! Every teacher starts out with an empty bag of tricks; it is nice to peek into someone′s bag!" —Nicole Guyon, Special Education Teacher Westerly School Department, Cranston, RI Classroom-tested strategies that help students with learning disabilities succeed! Teachers are often challenged to help students with learning disabilities reach their full academic potential. Written with humor and empathy, this engaging book offers a straightforward approach to skillful teaching of students with learning disabilities. Developed for K–12 general and special education classrooms, this resource draws on the author′s 30 years of teaching experience to help teachers gain a greater understanding of students′ learning differences and meet individual needs. Strategies are organized by skills—including reading, writing, math, organization, attention, and test-taking—helping teachers quickly identify the best techniques for assisting each student and encouraging independent learning. Readers will find: More than 100 practical strategies, interventions, and activities that build students′ academic abilities Recommendations on appropriate accommodations, assessment techniques, and family communication Support for complying with recent federal mandates related to learning disabilities, including the ADA, Section 504, and the reauthorization of IDEA 2004 Helpful guidance and stories from the author′s own classroom experiences Ready-to-use tools, forms, and guides Discover innovative, easy-to-implement teaching methods that overcome barriers to learning and help students with special needs thrive in your classroom.

Noting that students' homework provides an opportunity for families and schools to work together to help students be successful in school, this booklet, designed for parents, offers suggestions for ways parents can use homework to become more involved with their child's education. The booklet discusses reasons for assigning homework, including helping students learn better and faster, informing children of their school's high expectations, and helping students develop self-discipline and responsibility. The bulk of the booklet discusses ways parents can support their child's homework: (1) make homework a priority; (2) show interest; (3) know the teacher's homework policy; (4) help your child set aside studying time; (5) work with your child to pick a study spot; (6) eliminate distractions; (7) help your child keep track of each day's assignments; (8) check your child's finished homework; (9) help your child develop a study plan; (10) teach your child to ask questions while studying; (11) make sure your child understands assignments; (12) help your child with time management; (13) learn how your child learns; (14) help your child visualize success; (15) emphasize the importance of hard work; (16) help your child study for tests; (17) give honest praise; (18) help your child work through confusion; and (19) remember whose homework it is. Finally, the booklet discusses what parents can do if their child is having problems, when they no longer understand their child's homework, and when homework involves a computer and the parents do not own one. (Contains 23 references.) (KB)

Families play a vital role in educating America's children. What families do is more important to student success than whether they are rich or poor, whether parents have finished high school or not, or whether children are in elementary, junior high, or high school. This book contributes to the drive to increase family involvement in children's learning. Chapters: why do teachers assign homework? does homework help children learn? what's the right amount of homework? how to help: show you think education and homework are important; monitor assignments, provide guidance, and talk with someone at school to resolve problems.