GETTING TO KNOW RONNIE: A STORY ABOUT AUTISM

The first day in a new school can be difficult for anyone. This story is a good example of how the first day could be a bit more challenging for a little boy with autism.

Click on the illustration above to download the text of the selected story. The illustration by Barbara L. Gibson can be downloaded directly from this site. If you experience technical difficulties please email Mary Miller at mmiller@nynpa.com.

NEW: There is now a video version of this story available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lFYuPSaq2A&t=344s. The narrator is Michele Lepe, who millions of kids and parents know as Nina on PBS Sprout's The Goodnight Show.

Please note: There are no teaching guides or Newspaper In Education (NIE) lessons for this short, simple story.

A special thanks to Hope Miller for reviewing the story and providing the following comments based on her experience as a pre-school teacher at Benton Hall Academy Elementary School in Little Falls, NY, and a big sister to Daniel, her brother with autism.

"I thought this was a nice, short story and good depiction about how a child with Autism may act and react. Many students who have not been exposed to children with special needs often are mean because they don't understand why a child with autism is behaving that way. Many students don't know any better because they have not been exposed to children or people with disabilities.

I think it is excellent for teachers to talk about autism and other disabilities with their students, whether they have a student in their classroom with a disability or not because chances are, all children at some point will come into contact with individuals with special needs and their reactions can determine how that interaction plays out.

This story can help all children both with and without special needs."

The Race for Space: Apollo 11

A short factoid story for kids about “the space race” of the 1960s.

The Sweet Smelling Skunk

Mrs. Donnelly and a little skunk named Skippy find a common solution for both their problems.

Click on the illustration above to download the text of the selected story. The photo, provided by NASA, can be downloaded directly from this site or other space images can be found directly on their website. If you experience technical difficulties please email Mary Miller at mmiller@nynpa.com.

Please note: There are no teaching guides or NIE lessons for this short story. However, there are lesson plans broken down by grade level on this topic at ReadWriteThink.org.

Click on the illustration above to download the text of the selected story. The illustration, my Kevin Scott Collier, can be downloaded directly from this site. If you experience technical difficulties please email Mary Miller at mmiller@nynpa.com.

Please note: There are no teaching guides or NIE lessons for this short, simple story.

The Shell Shocked Turtle

Click on the illustration above to download the text of the selected story. The color illustration, by Kevin Scott Collier, can be downloaded directly from this site. The black and white illustrations included with the story were created by Ms. Asa Wells. If you experience technical difficulties please email Mary Miller at mmiller@nynpa.com.

Please note: There are no teaching guides or NIE lessons for this short, simple story.