Learning Disabilities

Writing Activity

by Caroline , Rebecca, Joshua, William, Chelsea and Lianna

Do you think that the character Zero in the book had a learning disability? Mr. Pendanski thought that Zero was stupid, but Stanley knew better.

We'd like you to write a letter to Zero. (Remember, he did not have anyone to write to in the story.) Tell him about a subject or skill that you struggled to learn and what worked for you in overcoming the difficulty. Email your letter, and we will select letters to post on this web site. Following are letters to Zero written by our TQ Jr. team members and site visitors.

Dear Zero,

I have problems with fractions, especially borrowing. For example, 9 1/18 - 2 1/2. I solved the problem like this:

 9 1/18 = 8 19/18
-2 1/2 =  2  9/18
-----------------
          6 10/18 = 6 5/9

I solved these problems with practice and patience. If you practice reading, you'll become a good reader.

Sincerely,

Caroline

Dear Zero:

I'm homeschooled, and so are my big brothers. They are always around.

I had a problem, but I learned how to solve it. When I read, my brothers bothered me. One said I was too loud, and the other one made a lot of noise talking with my mother.

I came up with some solutions: 1) Ignore them. 2) Move. 3) Ask them nicely to stop.

The solution that works best for me is to move somewhere else.

Rebecca

Dear Zero,

I'm so glad to hear that you are no longer at Camp Green Lake. I heard you learned how to read while you were there. I used to have problems with reading too, so don't feel badly. I had problems reading chapter books because I found them long and boring. I was used to books like the Berenstain Bear series that had pictures and you don't have to imagine stuff. The first chapter book I read alone was a Berenstain Bear book. It was longer and had less pictures. After that, I read the Stars Wars book which was written like a comic book but without pictures. Then, I read Robinson Crusoe which had pictures and words. Ever since then I have been able to read regular chapter books with or without pictures. Maybe if you have the same problem, you can try books like these.

Your new penpal,

Joshua

DEAR ZERO,

I had a big problem with my times tables, and I fixed that problem by practicing them every day. I finally got them straight.

LIANNA

Dear Zero,

I know that you couldn't read or write before Stanley taught you, and I want to tell you about a learning problem I had. I had trouble remembering to use correct capitalization and punctuation in sentences. I practiced with many English workbooks, and I finally got the hang of it. So all I can say is keep working on reading, and you will have the hang of it in no time flat.

Signed,
William

Dear Zero,

I never really liked learning cursive handwriting. My mom suggested writing to a pen pal. Then I had a real problem! I didn’t have a pen pal!

My grandmother found an address of her cousin that lives in England. She remembered that her cousin had a girl almost my age. I was thrilled! I would be writing to a distant relative that I never even new existed.

We have been writing for two years. It’s really great fun! Having a pen pal helped develop my handwriting and language skills.

Your friend,

Chelsea

Hi my name is Crystal. I like School very much, but in math I have difficulty in some parts especially division. I will study extra hard at home to succeed. I like reading and I enjoyed your web site.

My name is Joshua. I am 11 years old. I have problems in Math memorizing my time tables.

Hi, my name is Joshua. I have problems with the time tables. I have been studying them very hard.

My name is Lorraine. I am 11 years old. Math is my hardest subject. I have trouble with division. I asked my teacher if she could help me learn the facts. She is a great teacher. Her name is Ms. Rudick. My favorite subject is Language. What is yours? please write me back

Love Lorraine

Dear Zero,

I have problems doing math the way my teacher wants me to. You see, I can figure out just about anything in my head and get the right answer. Bus, as soon as I am told to write it on paper, the conventional way, I can't follow the steps. For example, I can usually come up with an answer for a long division problem in my head. I estimate and round off in my head. But, I cannot do the steps necessary to show the teacher how I got my answer. I think I am smart in math, but I.m sure teachers would not agree with me.

Sincerely,

Bryan

Dear Zero,

I have trouble with percents. Now, after I studied, I get better grades on my math papers dealing with percents.

From,

Dion

Dear Zero,

I was having problems with math, but now that I read the book and the way you do math and with help of my teacher I figured my problem out, but the way you did your problems help me alot so thanks alot.

Your friend,

Jessica

There are many kinds of disabilities that make it difficult to learn. Perhaps you or a friend have one of them. You can learn more about learning disabilities using these links:

Digging Into the Book	Wreck Room	Zero's Math	Mess Tent	Warden's Hot Science	Mr. Yelnats' Inventions
Mr. Pendanski's Tent	Stanley's Fitness Page	Madame Zeroni's Music	Contact Us	Site Map/ Search	Credits
The Hole Truth - a 2001 ThinkQuest Jr. Entry

Learning Disabilities

National Institute of Mental Health - Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities Association

National Center for Learning Disabilities

Top

Digging Into the Book

Wreck Room

Zero's Math

Mess Tent

Warden's Hot Science

Mr. Yelnats' Inventions

Mr. Pendanski's
Tent

Stanley's Fitness Page

Madame Zeroni's Music

Contact Us

Site Map/
Search

Credits

Dear Zero, I have problems with fractions, especially borrowing. For example, 9 1/18 - 2 1/2. I solved the problem like this: 9 1/18 = 8 19/18 -2 1/2 = 2 9/18 ----------------- 6 10/18 = 6 5/9 I solved these problems with practice and patience. If you practice reading, you'll become a good reader. Sincerely, Caroline	Dear Zero: I'm homeschooled, and so are my big brothers. They are always around. I had a problem, but I learned how to solve it. When I read, my brothers bothered me. One said I was too loud, and the other one made a lot of noise talking with my mother. I came up with some solutions: 1) Ignore them. 2) Move. 3) Ask them nicely to stop. The solution that works best for me is to move somewhere else. Rebecca
Dear Zero, I'm so glad to hear that you are no longer at Camp Green Lake. I heard you learned how to read while you were there. I used to have problems with reading too, so don't feel badly. I had problems reading chapter books because I found them long and boring. I was used to books like the Berenstain Bear series that had pictures and you don't have to imagine stuff. The first chapter book I read alone was a Berenstain Bear book. It was longer and had less pictures. After that, I read the Stars Wars book which was written like a comic book but without pictures. Then, I read Robinson Crusoe which had pictures and words. Ever since then I have been able to read regular chapter books with or without pictures. Maybe if you have the same problem, you can try books like these. Your new penpal, Joshua	DEAR ZERO, I had a big problem with my times tables, and I fixed that problem by practicing them every day. I finally got them straight. LIANNA
Dear Zero, I know that you couldn't read or write before Stanley taught you, and I want to tell you about a learning problem I had. I had trouble remembering to use correct capitalization and punctuation in sentences. I practiced with many English workbooks, and I finally got the hang of it. So all I can say is keep working on reading, and you will have the hang of it in no time flat. Signed, William	Dear Zero, I never really liked learning cursive handwriting. My mom suggested writing to a pen pal. Then I had a real problem! I didn’t have a pen pal! My grandmother found an address of her cousin that lives in England. She remembered that her cousin had a girl almost my age. I was thrilled! I would be writing to a distant relative that I never even new existed. We have been writing for two years. It’s really great fun! Having a pen pal helped develop my handwriting and language skills. Your friend, Chelsea
Hi my name is Crystal. I like School very much, but in math I have difficulty in some parts especially division. I will study extra hard at home to succeed. I like reading and I enjoyed your web site.	My name is Joshua. I am 11 years old. I have problems in Math memorizing my time tables.
Hi, my name is Joshua. I have problems with the time tables. I have been studying them very hard.	My name is Lorraine. I am 11 years old. Math is my hardest subject. I have trouble with division. I asked my teacher if she could help me learn the facts. She is a great teacher. Her name is Ms. Rudick. My favorite subject is Language. What is yours? please write me back Love Lorraine
Dear Zero, I have problems doing math the way my teacher wants me to. You see, I can figure out just about anything in my head and get the right answer. Bus, as soon as I am told to write it on paper, the conventional way, I can't follow the steps. For example, I can usually come up with an answer for a long division problem in my head. I estimate and round off in my head. But, I cannot do the steps necessary to show the teacher how I got my answer. I think I am smart in math, but I.m sure teachers would not agree with me. Sincerely, Bryan	Dear Zero, I have trouble with percents. Now, after I studied, I get better grades on my math papers dealing with percents. From, Dion
Dear Zero, I was having problems with math, but now that I read the book and the way you do math and with help of my teacher I figured my problem out, but the way you did your problems help me alot so thanks alot. Your friend, Jessica