Standards that could be used

I just looked on the Indiana Department of Education. In Science for Biology, heredity and reproduction are explored in Core Standards #6, 7, 8, and 9 could all be used for examining DNA, heredity and the mutation of genes for dwarfism for high school.

In grade 7, 7.4.3 examining how genetic information is carried from each parent to form one single organism.

In grade 2, Human Identity takes a look at the external features of humans how they are alike and how they differ.

Billy Barty

I don't know if you recognize him, but I remember him from a lot of movies and television shows, Wild Wild West, for one. He started Little People of America in Reno, Nevada with only 20 people. Now there are over 5,000 members.

Do you remember him?

Definition

I found this definition of dwarfism on the Mayo Clinic website. Dwarfism is short stature that results from a medical condition. Dwarfism is generally defined as an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches or less. The most typical range in adult height among people with dwarfism is 2 feet 8 inches to 4 feet 8 inches.

I know how difficult it is for me being 4'11". I can't imagine what it would be like to be shorter still. I have had people call me "midget". For dwarfs, this is considered derogatory.

There are two types of dwarfism: disproportionate and proportionate. Disproportionate is where the head is bigger, but they have short arms and limbs. Proportionate results from medical conditions at birth. The proportionate has everything of small but average proportions relative to each other. They usually have a growth hormone deficiency. This says that it could be an adult up to 5 foot tall. Hmmm! Maybe I am a dwarf. Whether I am or not doesn't matter. How I feel about myself is what is important. Little people are special too.

They say that children with dwarfism are subject to ridicule and teasing (bullying) and those people may feel isolated from their peers.

I found this website for help http://www.lpaonline.org/mc/page.do

Short People- Topic

I decided I would find everything I could about short people, being one myself. So, I will start webbing and webbing as Annette says. This is where I am to locate, search, and connect ideas and information. I know in anatomy and physiology class they study dwarfism and what makes people short.

To Joe P.

I tried it without the navbar and I found it hard to get into the blog to post. Thanks for your help anyway.
Denise

The Bigger Picture- Webbing

I don't know what I am going to do yet, but I think it will be something about being short. I found this video on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC5B3zU0Iv0

Hopefully, you will be able to view it too!

My how time flies

I cannot believe it has been this long since my last blog. These past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Its not that I have not been thinking about my project. I really have. Some people may think I am procrastinating, when over and over I have been as Carol Kuhlthau says, mulling it over and over in my head. I am still thinking about doing bullying, but have also thought about doing short people as a topic. I am short (4'11") and a dwarf is considered 4'10" or smaller. I have been this height since my freshmen year of high school. Anyway, now what I need to do is decide which one?

What kind of questions do I have about bullying? For one, do I have any books about bullying in my library? What kind of resources could I find on the Internet for students, parents or teachers? Are there any decent videos on bullying? Is bullying the same as harassment? What makes a bully a bully? Why do they become this way? Are there any organizations or support groups? How do you stop someone from bullying someone else? Is bullying more prevalent in girls or boys? How does gender affect the bullying? Behavior fascinates me and I don't understand why someone bullies or what I can do to help those I think are being bullied.

What do I know about height? Does French blood have lower levels of Human Growth Hormone? My mother told me that my father was given HGH shots when he went into the military because he was five foot tall. He grew six inches in the military. He was full-blooded french. Do short people tend to get picked on more or bullied more? This goes with my bullying topic as well. Do I have any resources I could use or point students to on body growth or Human Growth Hormone or dwarfism? What happens to mosts dwarfs? What kind of field of work do they typically go into? Is there a general occupation that short people gravitate toward?

I hate getting stuck in the wondering phase.