Hello Div.18 Families!
Along with this post is a PDF of next week’s learning activities. Please note that Monday is a holiday but we have included activities if you’d like. In fact remember that you can mix and match any of the learning opportunities. Feel free to improvise, substitute, simplify, add to, or omit. Math is the most challenging due to the varying abilities. Next week is very basic but in future weeks I will set-up more options. Choose one or do them all! Need something different? Continue on with what you have set-up at home.
I had a wonderful time connecting with many students this week via FaceTime or MS Teams. If you did not sign up for one, feel free to send me an email with a day and time that works for you Tuesday through Friday next week. When I was chatting to families it was evident that many already have good routines in place so the learning opportunities we provide can enhance what you already have set-up. It was also evident that families need options when it comes to the amount of supplies needed or access to technology. If an activity does not work for you, do not worry about completing it.
I have been playing around with different platforms this week to share work and receive feedback, and have decided to continue using FreshGrade and Google Classroom. Both are platforms the children are familiar with. I will post the weekly PDF as an assignment into Google Classroom for students to view as well. Grade 4/5s are growing in their independence as learners and could get into the routine of checking here each week and following instructions on their own to the best of their abilities. I also have links there to various other platforms we might be using such as Reflex and Prodigy math. If you have any questions or need some help with these platforms, please reach out to me. You might find some of these tutorials helpful:
Signing in to Google or watch this video from a teacher in our school district
FreshGrade Student - how to add something new, upload, and comment
Looking for some direction on a sample day schedule? Check out this one. For some children a structured schedule like this will be really helpful; for others having choice and flexibility in their day is more beneficial. Perhaps you could print and cut out the schedule and they could ‘build’ their plan each day.
*Please note: It does not matter to me how families choose to share student work. Use FreshGrade or Google Classroom - whichever is most helpful to you. In fact you could even use both depending on the task! If you have trouble uploading, you can always comment and explain the learning instead.
I recognize that this is a steep learning curve for all, especially when learning at home is not something we have chosen or expected in addition to our busy lives and worries. Please be gentle on yourself and reach out for support when needed.
Sincerely,
Sherisse Norris