Recently I shared with some people that my entire life prepared me to deal with colon cancer the best I could, and the colon cancer prepared me for dealing with covid19. The mile a minute Rayna who would do so much in a day could have never sat back and relaxed, read, and connected with people during the covid19 pandemic. I imagine the old me would have been gung-ho, preparing learning experiences for kids at home. However, the directive from the DESE in MA is to provide enrichment and engagement opportunities for students. My district asked us to think in terms of low tech to no tech. I spent a few days thinking about what this could look like.
Here are some things my students have been doing to stay connected to our classroom community:
· Every week throughout the year I send home an awesome problem of the week. It is a math problem from the Exemplars program, or you could make problems up. Students have a week to solve the problem if they choose. They have been emailing me answers, sharing in a Google Doc, or writing it down and sending pictures. Then if they solve it correctly, we post a picture of the group with awesome problem solver signs. Due to social distancing and no school this option is no longer possible. So, I asked students to create their own sign and send me a picture, and they did! One student even used scrabble letters. Love the creativity! Next year I might have the kids make their own sign too. The pride on their faces shine through!
· Each week I send home a week in review in a Wakelet that I create using Adobe Spark and put in YouTube as an unlisted video. This week I encouraged families to send me photos with a caption (features of nonfiction). And I got so many photos the video was 3 minutes long!
· I had a student email me this morning. Every day we do a circle meeting at the end of the day, participating in the 3As. Students can share an apology, an a-ha moment, or an appreciation. My student asked me if we could still do this. I told her sure! I created an ungraded, optional assignment in Google Classroom where students can share one of their A’s whenever they want!
· I also created a place in Google Classroom, which all students have access to, where students and parents could find activities at home to do. Kevin Carroll, author of the The Red Rubber Ball, sent me a great link to Play at Home. Students still need opportunities to move, play, create, make, and have fun!
· Students are sharing inspirational quotes and telling us why they shared it in Google Classroom. Using the @ symbol to respond to individuals is helpful!
· We also have a space for students to teach us something new in Google Classroom. A student already shared How to Count to Infinity!
· One of my students used her leg as a canvas and sent me a picture of her painting. Canvases can be anywhere! Art is everywhere!
· Some students are continuing to blog, work on digital portfolios, and reading letters because those assignments were part of their regular routine.
It is important that we keep connecting with our kids, letting them know we are here (even by an email or phone call or Google Form (Shout out to Allyson Apsey for the form idea)). There is a lot of information out there but remember keeping it simple is also something to consider. After all we want our kids engaged and enriched during this time. We want their minds going, synapses growing, and smiles flowing!
