Well, we've been at this new thing called "distance learning" for almost three weeks now. When I say "new", I realize there has been on-line schooling and homeschooling for many years (and I completed a good portion of my masters degree on-line), but this whole thing is definitely new for our local brick-and-mortal school system.
Here's how it's going:
Every Monday, the parents pick up a packet for their students in preschool through third grade. (Grades four and above are completing school work on-line.) There are three times during the day when packets can be picked up: early morning, lunch time and late afternoon/early evening. Families are also picking up their meals for the week (if they choose to do that) which consist of two breakfasts and two lunches for each day.
Our third grade packets consist of a parent section in the front (for help in instructing with guiding questions and answer keys) and a child section in the back. Children complete their work throughout the week and return the back section on the following Monday at which time they also pick up a new packet. The packets that have been returned are left to sit in isolation until administration gives us the all-clear to handle them. We're still waiting to take a look at our first week's packet as I write this.
Each child gets a phone call every week from his/her teacher. Our grade level team decided each teacher would call six kids a day, Monday through Thursday. Calls to families who don't speak English are handled by our EL team. We can listen in on those and still be a part of those conversations.
The first week I called my students was magical. I had never talked to most of them on the telephone, and both students and teacher were excited to talk again. Some were shy, but most had lots to tells me - adorable!
The second week was a little different. The weather had taken an unseasonably nice turn, and I think my call was an interruption into a fun day for many of the kids. One girl was out flying kites with her family during our phone call. One boy was summoned from the backyard where he'd been jumping on their trampoline when I called.
I email the families every morning for attendance, and their responses range from "here" to positive, uplifting messages for me. I enjoy the extra interaction with the parents.
Another way I try to engage my families is through my read aloud recordings. I read a chapter of a book aloud each day and record myself. I then push the recording out to my families through email. Some of the parents and grandparents have told me that they watch the read aloud together each day and enjoy hearing the story as much as the kids.
I haven't done any zoom or google meetings for my class yet. As several of my grade level colleagues have done this already, I feel some peer pressure to try it.
If it's like most of the things I have been dragged into since this whole crisis began, I will find that it's something I can do (with a few instructions), and it will be a welcome addition to my new way of teaching.
Frequent google or zoom meetings with my grade level team and school administrators and building staff help keep us all on track. Our grade level team plans our lessons through google meets as a group, ensuring that children from each third grade classroom get the same instruction.
At the current time, Governor Walz has ordered that schools will be closed until May 5th. I'm pretty sure that date will be extended through the end of the school year, but, for now, the governor is leaving that door open.
And so my foray into distance learning continues...
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Saturday, March 21, 2020
The New Normal
It's been almost a week since the governor declared that school would be suspended from March 18th through March 27th here in Minnesota due to COVID19.
Our district decided to have students on campus for the two days between the governor's press conference on Sunday and the imposed deadline to close schools on Wednesday.
Our district had an added wrinkle - spring conferences were scheduled for Tuesday and Friday.
The whole conference question was settled pretty quickly and easily. We would send conference folders home with the children and then call the parents at their scheduled conference times. It was something I hadn't done in my almost thirty years of teaching, but it worked pretty well. I was grateful to have a chance to talk to my families after our abrupt closing of school, but they had so many questions, and I had so few answers!
Those last two days with students were a nightmare for me. Don't misunderstand - the kids were great. I teach third grade, and the kids arrived those days with differing degrees of information, misinformation and mixed feelings. Some were thrilled with the prospect of an unexpected vacation and others had many worries - about missing the stability and structure of school and, of course, about missing the food supplied by our district (a need which our district filled almost immediately).
Personally, the hardest part was that I had turned in my resignation for the end of the school year just 11 days prior, and I knew that Tuesday could possibly be my last day of classes with students...ever.
If it turned out that we would not be able to resume class before the end of the school year, I would never get to give my kids all the experiences I wanted to provide them before they went off to fourth grade - or even to say good-bye.
The first day without students was surreal. We had a staff meeting in the gym sitting spread out far apart on the bleachers. It was hard to remember to keep that social distance through the day as we worked in grade level groups and tried to identify essential state standards in math and reading not yet covered.
Every doorknob I touched made me wonder: Was I washing my hands often enough and well enough? Were any of my co-workers already infected?
It hit home the next day when I discovered that someone in my rural county had contracted the virus. It was someone I know...and then I found out that my sister had had indirect contact with a person who had tested positive and would be quarantined for fourteen days.
On Friday we had phone conferences and were allowed to make calls from home if we wished. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity, setting up my "office" in the spare bedroom.
This coming Monday we need to report to school again. I am hoping we will soon be told to work from home exclusively. I don't like sharing bathrooms, copy machines, and door handles with a large amount of people. My husband and I are both over 60 and in a higher risk group. I worry about bringing the virus home to him.
And I suppose the title of this post is a misnomer. For while everything about this is "new", nothing about it is "normal".
Our district decided to have students on campus for the two days between the governor's press conference on Sunday and the imposed deadline to close schools on Wednesday.
Our district had an added wrinkle - spring conferences were scheduled for Tuesday and Friday.
The whole conference question was settled pretty quickly and easily. We would send conference folders home with the children and then call the parents at their scheduled conference times. It was something I hadn't done in my almost thirty years of teaching, but it worked pretty well. I was grateful to have a chance to talk to my families after our abrupt closing of school, but they had so many questions, and I had so few answers!
Those last two days with students were a nightmare for me. Don't misunderstand - the kids were great. I teach third grade, and the kids arrived those days with differing degrees of information, misinformation and mixed feelings. Some were thrilled with the prospect of an unexpected vacation and others had many worries - about missing the stability and structure of school and, of course, about missing the food supplied by our district (a need which our district filled almost immediately).
Personally, the hardest part was that I had turned in my resignation for the end of the school year just 11 days prior, and I knew that Tuesday could possibly be my last day of classes with students...ever.
If it turned out that we would not be able to resume class before the end of the school year, I would never get to give my kids all the experiences I wanted to provide them before they went off to fourth grade - or even to say good-bye.
The first day without students was surreal. We had a staff meeting in the gym sitting spread out far apart on the bleachers. It was hard to remember to keep that social distance through the day as we worked in grade level groups and tried to identify essential state standards in math and reading not yet covered.
Every doorknob I touched made me wonder: Was I washing my hands often enough and well enough? Were any of my co-workers already infected?
It hit home the next day when I discovered that someone in my rural county had contracted the virus. It was someone I know...and then I found out that my sister had had indirect contact with a person who had tested positive and would be quarantined for fourteen days.
On Friday we had phone conferences and were allowed to make calls from home if we wished. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity, setting up my "office" in the spare bedroom.
This coming Monday we need to report to school again. I am hoping we will soon be told to work from home exclusively. I don't like sharing bathrooms, copy machines, and door handles with a large amount of people. My husband and I are both over 60 and in a higher risk group. I worry about bringing the virus home to him.
And I suppose the title of this post is a misnomer. For while everything about this is "new", nothing about it is "normal".
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Easiest Christmas Gift Ever!
Need a quick and easy gift for your students to make for their families? Look no further...
The first step is to order Blue Magic Color Scratch Ornaments from Oriental Trading Company. At $7.39 for a pack of 24 ornaments, it's an affordable choice.
https://www.orientaltrading.com/blue-magic-color-scratch-snowflake-christmas-ornaments-a2-48_4748.fltr
Your order will include three different snowflake designs in different shades of blue. Wooden sticks are also included in your order.
The students will scratch a design into the blue ornaments using the wooden sticks to reveal the silver color underneath. Some students will decide that they want to scratch ALL the blue off and will end up with all-silver ornaments, and that's okay, too.
Your next step is to add the student's picture to his or her ornament. The company that does our school pictures supplies us with a few copies of small pictures of each student. These photos have an adhesive backing. I simply peel and stick their photos in the middle of their ornaments.
If you don't have this option, trim a photograph of each student down to an appropriate size and glue to the center of the ornament.
The first step is to order Blue Magic Color Scratch Ornaments from Oriental Trading Company. At $7.39 for a pack of 24 ornaments, it's an affordable choice.
https://www.orientaltrading.com/blue-magic-color-scratch-snowflake-christmas-ornaments-a2-48_4748.fltr
Your order will include three different snowflake designs in different shades of blue. Wooden sticks are also included in your order.
The students will scratch a design into the blue ornaments using the wooden sticks to reveal the silver color underneath. Some students will decide that they want to scratch ALL the blue off and will end up with all-silver ornaments, and that's okay, too.
Your next step is to add the student's picture to his or her ornament. The company that does our school pictures supplies us with a few copies of small pictures of each student. These photos have an adhesive backing. I simply peel and stick their photos in the middle of their ornaments.
If you don't have this option, trim a photograph of each student down to an appropriate size and glue to the center of the ornament.
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| FINISHED ORNAMENT |
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Reindeer Christmas Card
This is a fun Christmas card for your students to make. It may also be a keepsake your kids' families cherish.
Materials:
Paper plates
Green construction paper - 9 x 12 piece for each student
Paint - brown, white, black and red
Paint brush (bristle or foam)
Crayons, markers or colored pencils
Glitter and liquid glue (optional)
Preparation:
Cut 9 x 12 paper and fold in half to make a card
Put brown paint on a paper plate
Student rubs hand on plate or teacher paints student's hand (palm side)
Student presses hand on front of card
BE SURE TO WRITE STUDENTS' NAMES OR INITIALS LIGHTLY ON CARD WITH
PENCIL!
Let cards dry for a couple of hours
Put blobs of red, white and black paint on a paper plate
Student puts thumb into red paint and presses it onto the bottom of the handprint making a
Rudolph nose
Student puts index/pointer finger into white paint and makes two eyeballs near top of palm on
handprint
Student puts pinkie finger into black paint and presses into eyeball (white paint) to make pupils
Let paint dry
Students write "Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays, etc.) to my "deer" family! Love, (student
name)" inside the card
Add glitter to card, if desired, and let dry.
Materials:
Paper plates
Green construction paper - 9 x 12 piece for each student
Paint - brown, white, black and red
Paint brush (bristle or foam)
Crayons, markers or colored pencils
Glitter and liquid glue (optional)
Preparation:
Cut 9 x 12 paper and fold in half to make a card
Put brown paint on a paper plate
Student rubs hand on plate or teacher paints student's hand (palm side)
Student presses hand on front of card
BE SURE TO WRITE STUDENTS' NAMES OR INITIALS LIGHTLY ON CARD WITH
PENCIL!
Let cards dry for a couple of hours
Put blobs of red, white and black paint on a paper plate
Student puts thumb into red paint and presses it onto the bottom of the handprint making a
Rudolph nose
Student puts index/pointer finger into white paint and makes two eyeballs near top of palm on
handprint
Student puts pinkie finger into black paint and presses into eyeball (white paint) to make pupils
Let paint dry
Students write "Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays, etc.) to my "deer" family! Love, (student
name)" inside the card
Add glitter to card, if desired, and let dry.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Recycled Christmas Card Ornaments
Recycled Christmas Card ornaments are a fun and fast Christmas craft for the holiday season!
Materials:
Small decorative paper doilies (from the grocery store or dollar store) - 1 per student
Used Christmas cards
Glue stick or liquid glue
Scissors
Preparation:
Save last year's Christmas cards or ask your parents to donate any they may have
Use a pattern to trace circles on the cards (make pattern by tracing a drinking glass)
Let kids pick cards they'd like to use
They cut out circles traced on cards
Kids glue the circle into the center of the doilies
Materials:
Small decorative paper doilies (from the grocery store or dollar store) - 1 per student
Used Christmas cards
Glue stick or liquid glue
Scissors
Preparation:
Save last year's Christmas cards or ask your parents to donate any they may have
Use a pattern to trace circles on the cards (make pattern by tracing a drinking glass)
Let kids pick cards they'd like to use
They cut out circles traced on cards
Kids glue the circle into the center of the doilies
Recycled Christmas Wreath Art Project for Elementary Students
Wreaths have a special significance for the holiday season. According to http://www.holidayinsights.com/xmas/wreaths.htm:
This is one of my favorite holiday art projects because it utilizes common materials in an unusual way, recycles material, and it is simple enough for kids to do (mostly) on their own.
Materials:
1 small or large paper plate for each student
1 bow pattern traced on red construction paper
Scraps of green paper
Glue stick or liquid glue
Red paint
Glitter (optional)
Scissors
Preparation:
Cut the center out of a paper plate (1 for each student)
Gather paper in many shades of green (I collect all year round)
* Leftover flyers from notices that were sent home (print on paper is okay)
*Wrapping paper scraps
*Construction paper from your scrap box
*Scraps of wide ribbon
Tear paper into 1 to 1-1/2 inch strips
Students get several different strips of green paper and tear them into approximately 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces.
They then glue the pieces onto the paper plate until plate is completely covered. Pieces should stick out past the edges of the plate.
Next the red bow shape is cut out and glued on.
Finally the student dips his/her index finger into red paint and then presses it on to the wreath several times to represent holly berries.
Optional: Put some glitter on the wreath and/or bow.
Wreaths have been used as a decorative sign of Christmas for hundreds and hundreds of years. Christmas wreaths can adorn any part of your home, inside or out. In many homes, this symbol of growth and everlasting life can be found both inside and out. It is common to find a number of wreaths on doors, over the mantle, or hung in windows.
The wreath is made of evergreens, most often pine branches or holly. They can be real or artificial. But, an artificial one just doesn't smell the same as a real wreath. It is decorated with a variety of items including pine cones, holly berries, fruits, and just about anything you can imagine.
The wreath has significant meaning for the season. It's circular shape represents eternity, for it has no beginning and no end. From a christian religious perspective, it represents an unending circle of life. The evergreen, most frequently used in making wreathes, symbolizes growth and everlasting life. Holly branches have thorns. When used in a wreath it represents the thorn on Jesus' crown when he was crucified. Bright red holly berries symbolize Jesus' blood that was shed for us.
Today, it is sometimes hard to remember the real meaning of Christmas. We get all caught up in the hype of Santa and his arrival. The wreath over the hearth brings a warmth to our hearts as we stop to reflect upon the true meaning of this very special day.
Materials:
1 small or large paper plate for each student
1 bow pattern traced on red construction paper
Scraps of green paper
Glue stick or liquid glue
Red paint
Glitter (optional)
Scissors
Preparation:
Cut the center out of a paper plate (1 for each student)
Gather paper in many shades of green (I collect all year round)
* Leftover flyers from notices that were sent home (print on paper is okay)
*Wrapping paper scraps
*Construction paper from your scrap box
*Scraps of wide ribbon
Tear paper into 1 to 1-1/2 inch strips
Students get several different strips of green paper and tear them into approximately 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces.
They then glue the pieces onto the paper plate until plate is completely covered. Pieces should stick out past the edges of the plate.
Next the red bow shape is cut out and glued on.
Finally the student dips his/her index finger into red paint and then presses it on to the wreath several times to represent holly berries.
Optional: Put some glitter on the wreath and/or bow.
 |
| Finished Wreaths |
 |
Monday, October 28, 2019
My Favorite Read Alouds - Part 2
One of the ways I try to share my love for reading is by reading aloud to my class every day. This is something I will never give up, no matter how full my classroom schedule is.
I model reading with fluency and expression, often using different voices for characters. I read books I enjoy which makes it easy to convey my excitement about reading to my students. I often read one book in a series and then offer the other books as a choice during our silent reading time. I read books that are at the reading level of most third graders, but I also read books that are above the reading level of my students as a child's listening comprehension is higher than his or her independent reading comprehension.
I've been teaching third grade for the past five years. These are some of the novels I read to my class year after year:
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is an imaginative fantasy third graders enjoy as much as their teacher does.
Frindle by Andrew Clements is a fictional account of the way a new word comes into usage. The word lover in me loves this tale.
Punished by Vanessa Steel is the story of a boy who is cursed to use puns. Some may consider puns the lowest form of humor, but third graders and I love them.
PIE by Sarah Weeks is a mystery story about a pie shop. Each chapter features a different pie recipe. It's a unique story, and I have to admit reading it makes me a little hungry. FYI - I have not tried any of the pies recipes. My mother-in-law makes the best pies in the world which is, frankly, a little imtimidating to me.
Read-aloud is the best time of the day in my room.
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is an imaginative fantasy third graders enjoy as much as their teacher does.
Frindle by Andrew Clements is a fictional account of the way a new word comes into usage. The word lover in me loves this tale.
Punished by Vanessa Steel is the story of a boy who is cursed to use puns. Some may consider puns the lowest form of humor, but third graders and I love them.
PIE by Sarah Weeks is a mystery story about a pie shop. Each chapter features a different pie recipe. It's a unique story, and I have to admit reading it makes me a little hungry. FYI - I have not tried any of the pies recipes. My mother-in-law makes the best pies in the world which is, frankly, a little imtimidating to me.
Read-aloud is the best time of the day in my room.
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