New Science Videos Perfect for Halloween: “Microscopic Monsters” Scare the science into your students this Halloween by taking them on video adventures that combine microscopy, animation, and photography to reveal the structure, process, and behavior of living things. Microscopic Monsters follows the Micronauts, a team of miniature scientists, exploring the ecology of ponds, streams, and forests. Living things like hydra and aquatic insects inhabit these areas, and while they may initially appear to be monsters, they instead turn out to be amazing and enchanting. View these 13 clips (5-8 minutes each) through DCMP streaming, or we will put them all on a DVD and mail it to you. These videos are all treats, no tricks!

New Video “Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot” Raises Issues That Are Relevant Today  Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is about events that took place in 1965, and raises issues that remain relevant today: the use of the n-word, the misuse of police power, the power of symbols to intimidate, and the effectiveness of popular movements. This viewers guide can help you plan how you'll teach your middle school and high school students about the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and voting issues today. Narrated by Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, this 40-minute film tells the story of courageous activists who fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South.

Keeping Students with Disabilities Safe from Bullying Children with disabilities—such as physical, developmental, intellectual, emotional, and sensory disabilities—are at an increased risk of being bullied. Factors such as physical vulnerability, social skill challenges, or intolerant environments may increase the risk. Research suggests that some children with disabilities may bully others as well. DCMP has again joined with PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center to help promote ways to combat this huge national problem. Visit the special DCMP web page, Bullying: An Increased Risk for Children With a Disability, to learn more about resources to assist parents and teachers of children who are deaf, blind, and deaf-blind. Includes links to fifteen DCMP videos about bullying, Tip Sheets for what to do if your deaf or blind child is bullied, and a PACER promotional video captioned by the DCMP.

October 14: Celebrate the Independence of Persons with a Visual Impairment Federal law authorizes the President of the United States to proclaim October 15 of each year as "White Cane Safety Day." Its purpose is to gain recognition for the growing independence and self-sufficiency of persons with a visual impairment, and also to gain recognition of the white cane as the symbol of that independence and self-reliance. President Obama also named it “Blind Americans Equality Day."   Use DCMP videos to teach your students how animals provide more freedom to people with blindness, or inspire them with the story of an eight-year-old girl with macular degeneration who plays competitive soccer and rides her bike around the neighborhood on her own. Older students will learn about the fierce independence of persons who are blind as they view the video story of Carmen and Steve, and about friendship, love, adventure, and discovery in this intimate video portrait of two young blind New Yorkers.

Quick Hits More Halloween Video Treats Day of the Dead is a perfect video title to catch your students attention on Halloween, when it is actually a story of two youngsters who celebrate their ancestors on this vibrant Latin American holiday. Or, your older students will love Hawthorne’s story of Young Goodman Brown that will cause them to ponder if he actually met the devil in the forest near Salem or was merely dreaming. It’s frightening how good the following DCMP titles are: By the Light of the Halloween Moon, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, Medialuna and the Magic Nights series (Spanish), The Teacher From the Black Lagoon, and What’s Under My Bed. 5 Key Reasons to Use DCMP There are still some parents and educators who do not know that DCMP is a fantastic free and accessible educational resource. The five key reasons to use the DCMP are overviewed in this article and outlined on this flyer. Pass them on!