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This study focused on identifying learning difficulties with a view to incorporating both understanding of those difficulties and methods for minimizing or neutralizing them in multicultural classroom settings. Discussion gives guidelines for teachers to use in analyzing student concepts and approaches to learning, particularly in the question-and-answer format. (Contains 56 references.) (CNP)

Techniques for using children's rhymes, games, tongue twisters, and fables in Spanish to teach bilingual education classes are described. It is argued that these abundant materials serve as natural sources for authentic Spanish from a variety of Hispanic cultures. With the appeal of rhythm, rhyme, and game-like feeling, they can be used to teach expressive vocabulary, numbers, colors, pronunciation, language rhythm, and even the use of accents while amusing students. Examples given here include short poems, a counting game, a color drill, a tongue twister, a proverb, three fables by different authors, a group guessing game, a short saying about accents, and an exercise in which students in a group create a story by chaining sentences. (MSE)

This glossy folder is intended for parents to keep important papers related to their children's school. On the inside flaps of the folder are written in Spanish: (1) a list of suggested school-related papers that parents could keep in the folder; (2) a space for parents to write information about the schools their child has most recently attended; (3) lists of tasks for parents to perform when moving to a new place so their child can attend school; (4) information about children's rights related to attending school; and (5) information about the National Center for Homeless Education. On the back flap of the folder is printed a list of questions that parents can ask school personnel about programs and services offered at the school. (BC)

This English-Spanish language report includes the rationale for creating an assessment model for Spanish writing, offering an overview of the components of high quality assessment for any subject area, particularly Spanish writing. It presents the characteristics of effective Spanish writing, rubrics for scoring student performance based on the characteristics, and student writing samples (all from the work of bilingual and English as a Second Language teachers in the field). The 13 sections look at the following: "Introduction"; "Changing Demographics"; "The History of Bilingual Education"; "The Benefits of Spanish Language Instruction"; "Characteristics of High-Quality Assessment"; "Assessment Options for Spanish Speaking ELLs"; "A Better Option: Dual Assessment Development";"The Traits of Effective Spanish Writing: Las caracteristicas"; "How the Spanish Traits Relate to the English 6+1 Traits"; "Rubricas para la evaluacion"; "Student Writing Samples" (tema e ideas, organizacion, tono y estilo, uso del lenguaje, fluidez, and gramatica y ortografia); "Classroom Applications and Strategies for Teaching Spanish Writing"; and "Conclusion." The appendixes present scoring guides for sample papers and project methodology. (Contains 125 references.) (SM)

This guide, in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, aims to inform parents of students who have learned or are learning English as a Second Language about appropriate approaches for educating children so that they can work with schools to ensure a high quality education for their children. The emphasis is on explaining the laws, schools, and research related to the education of the English language learners (ELL). It is hoped that this information will help parents understand and participate in the education of their ELL child. Covered topics include the following: the benefits of learning two languages, how parents can determine if the school is meeting the academic needs of their children, what the characteristics of effective schooling for ELLs are, how schools determine if a child needs English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) help, the academic requirements of ESL students, federal policies and programs that can assist parents in monitoring the quality of the education schools are providing, a comparison of educational systems in the United States with those in other countries, and where additional information can be found. Thirteen sources of additional resources are provided. (KFT)

This paper examines the importance of hands for the person who is deafblind, reviews hand development, and identifies specific teaching skills that facilitate hand development and expressiveness in persons who are deafblind. It notes that the hands of a deafblind individual serve not only as tools but also as sense organs (to compensate for their missing vision and hearing) and as the primary means of expression. The literature is reviewed on the role of hands in early development in general, hand development in the child who is blind, hand development in the child who is deaf, and hand development in the child who is deafblind. Among 13 suggested teaching strategies are: (1) watch and/or touch the individual's hands and learn to read them; (2) use the teacher's hand under the child's hand to respond to exploration, to initiate topics, and to express feeling; (3) make your hands available for the child to use as he/she wishes; (4) play interactive hand games frequently; (5) make environmental provisions to encourage hand activity; (6) invite the child who is deafblind to have frequent tactual access to the environment; (7) make language accessible to the hands of the person who is deafblind; and (8) become aware of your own hands as carriers of feelings and pragmatic functions. An "afterword" by Harlan Lane suggests that people with deafblindness can teach others how to channel information through the tactile sense. (CR)

This document consists of 15 separate one-page clip sheets each providing specific advice on key topics for migrant parents. One side is in English, the other in Spanish. The topics covered are: (1) Carry Important Papers with You (documents that migrant workers might need to enroll children in school or to obtain other services); (2) Encourage Your Children in Math and Science; (3) Family Traditions; (4) Helping Your Child in a New School; (5) Helping with Homework; (6) MSRTS (Migrant Student Record Transfer System); (7) Parents' Rights and Responsibilities; (8) Parent-Teacher Conferences; (9) Programs for Out-of-School Youth (dropout programs, high school equivalency programs, vocational education, adult education); (10) Reading at Home; (11) Visit Your Library; (12) Your Baby's Growth (from birth to 15 months); (13) Your Children Can Go to College; (14) Your Children's Dental Care; and (15) Your Child's Talents. (SV)

This bilingual document stresses the importance of migrant parents being involved in their children's education and discusses ways for parents to help their children succeed in school. It provides information about migrant education and the various programs available for migrant children. The document covers the following topics: (1) important papers parents should carry with them that are necessary for applying for social services and enrolling children in school; (2) encouraging children to learn math and science; (3) the importance of sharing family culture and traditions with children; (4) helping a child adjust in a new school; (5) helping with homework; (6) the Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS); (7) parents' rights and responsibilities; (8) the importance of participating in parent-teacher conferences; (9) available programs for out-of-school youth; (10) the importance of reading at home and visiting local libraries; (11) an overview of child development stages; (12) planning for college; (13) the importance of dental care; and (14) encouraging children's talents. (LP)

Written for parents, this guide offers suggestions for using the newspaper at home to practice reading skills, to discover new information, and to teach critical reading. Activities in the guide are arranged according to grade level (kindergarten through grade two, grades one through three, grades four through six, and grades seven through twelve) and range from coloring, marking, tearing, cutting, gluing, and reading the newspaper. (HOD)

Presented is an overview of some specific schemes that have been used successfully by teachers throughout New York State to strengthen basic mathematics skills. Components offer ideas that have been successful with primary, intermediate, and secondary students. The contents of this Spanish language edition are identical to the English language and other foreign language editions. In addition to the Foreword, there are sections on: (1) Some Brief Observations About Strengthening Mathematics Skills; (2) The Balanced Mathematics Program; (3) "Par"--Puzzles+Arithmetic=Remediation; (4) Regrouping in Subtraction; (5) Money Games; (6) A Visual Sequence for Teaching Fractions; (7) A Space to Carry in Simple Addition and Multiplication Examples; (8) Grid Paper Computation; (9) The Need for Math Reading Skills; (10) A Structural Approach to Multiplication; (11) The Electronic Calculator in Remedial Mathematics; (12) Nature's Mathematics; and (13) Additional Teacher Designed Ideas. (MP)

This Spanish-language poster provides a checklist of ways that parents can help their children with school work and thus support their academic success. The items are divided into three parts as follows: (1) providing support for your children, including a quiet, well-lighted study area in the home, needed supplies such as paper and writing utensils, and additional items to help with organization such as an assignment calendar; (2) questions to ask your child, such as: "What are your assignments for today?""Are the assignments clear?""Do you need help with any of them?""Do you need to use the library or a computer?" and "Would it be helpful to take a practice test?"; and (3) other ways to help your child, such as reviewing the homework with the child (but not doing it for him or her), contacting the teacher if the assignment poses a problem you cannot resolve, reviewing written comments from the teacher on homework assignments, and complimenting your child when he or she does well. (HTH)