Basal Reader Program and its lack of alignment to actual evidence based practice got you down? Feeling overwhelmed and confused by click paths?
Same. So I decided to start this series- a survival guide if you will. To start- here are some free, supplemental resources Morphology - The Syntax Project Spelling/Phonics Common Lit Scaffolded Essay Frames - Ensure your students can answer those beginning of the year performance tasks! Coming Soon... I am finding a way to share what I have done to rewrite the program where it lacks. I will definitely be posting writing lessons for those who need something that is more explicit and meets the needs of all student. I will also be posting things I am doing to engage my students and make the mundane day to day exisitence of following the TE a more exciting and fulfilling experience. I will be posting resources here, and on instagram.
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(And 100 things that kept this working momma of a kindergartner and newborn sane!)Hurray! It's the 100th day of school! Which of course means we made it... someone give us a gold medal... We survived 100 days of distance learning. How? I don't know either but here we go... A list of 100 things that helped get us through. (Pictured - My daughter's work space/classroom/left over decorations from her birthday party. What a fun way to celebrate our 100 days of this thing we call Distance Learning!)
This year is hard. I am thankful for all of the teachers out there helping other teachers with free resources so will be posting resources I’m using in my distance learning classroom online! Checkout the Distance Learning Resources tab for all of the resources I have been dependent on and some of the resources I have created. Most of these resources are in hyperdoc form!
Enjoy! If you like my resources, I was going to add a buy me a coffee link but instead, buy one of your teacher friends who needs some extra love some coffee. This year is HARD. Teachers need each other to get through 😭❤️❤️❤️🥰 For in person resources, more of my resources are on Teachers Pay Teachers for cheap, if not free. When I started my career, everything in my classroom was purchased by 23 year old me out of pocket. I strive to price my materials fairly keeping that in mind and post things for free whenever I can! All of my resources are things I created and use in my own classroom. To the parent making impossible decisions as the start of school approaches...
I feel you. This is impossible. As a parent, spring distance learning felt like the 7th ring of hell and I am here to tell you every educator in the country felt the same pain. But we need to all acknowledge some truths. That was not distance learning. That was not caused by a lack of training. That was not caused by a system that failed due to incompetencies. What we all felt was a sudden, unexpected, unprecedented global trauma caused by a pandemic. The world was turned upside down overnight, without warning, without any way to prepare and that left us all (especially our kids) spinning in disbelief. Even the best distance learning system would have failed under those conditions and here is why. 1 - Children cannot learn when they are in a state of trauma. There is a strong, ever growing body of evidence indicating all of the reasons a child cannot access academic learning when they are in a heightened state of stress. When schools were abruptly shut down with no warning, our kids were processing their own grief over the loss of their normal and were processing their anxieties over global issues that are far to large for children to process all at once. We were all experiencing the same global trauma. As a teacher here is what I saw every single day during our daily zoom call.
All kids thrive on routine. This was ripped away from them suddenly and unexpectedly. Again, we all woke up one morning to the news that school buildings were closed and our reality was now some new uncharted world that felt like chaos. My kids missed their routine. They spent August-March learning and perfecting a routine that worked for them and their style of learning inside of a classroom. They knew exactly what to expect and when. They had made leaps and bounds of growth... and then BAM- covid threw a brick wall in front of them. They now had to learn a new routine somehow set by one adult who somehow had to coordinate 30 other family schedules during a global pandemic in which every. single. family was struggling to make things work at home, while working, with kids, who were expected to learn through a computer. I offered resources and suggestions to set schedules that resembled some sense of normal but there simply was not a way to meet every family's needs and to make a consistent and coherent plan that worked for every family. Families were exhausted, they were scared, they were fighting through what we now call Corona-fatigue and the emotional chaos caused by the rug being ripped out from underneath us without warning. We were all thrown into an impossible situation. There was no was schooling was going to survive through it. So as educators, administrators across the country came up with the best on the fly solutions that they could to meet the various needs of families who were now collectively facing the crisis caused by the pandemic shut down.
How did anyone expect all of that to go WELL in spring. Of course it failed. But parents, I assure you, this isn't spring learning any more. I see parent's now fleeing their public school for online schools or homeschooling options with an expectation of coming back to in person learning when things get safe but here are some realities to consider before you do that. The assumption is that spring failed because of teachers. Not because of the collective trauma we all experienced. Before you do that I urge you to consider the following.
Regardless of what you choose, know that you are making the best decision for your family. It is a hard, impossible decision to make. We are all doing our best and when this is all over... our kids will be okay. Phew! We made it. This certainly was not ideal, I would be lying if I said it was. But I truly feel we made the best out of it all, and now it comes to an end!
Typically the last week of school involves fun and bonding so, I have been wracking my brain to make that happen for my kiddos online. Digital Memory Book We will be finishing up a digital memory book together, reflecting on all of the good times (even online!) that we had together. I do not have access to a printer, but the file can be printed for kids or parents who prefer. Currently, I edited this one from Teaching with a Mountain View. Fun and Games Every year, we end with some fun and games. I tried my hardest to convert some of that into an online experience and made this Google Slides Minute to Win It Activity using materials kids could find at home. Click the link to automatically make yourself a copy! First I want to acknowledge that this is hard. We are living through collective trauma and all the emotions, good and bad, are valid. I want to make sure that my students have a safe place to discuss all of the hard bits of this while also having a space to experience and relate joy.
I've been working hard to take away the hardship from my kids and replace it with moments of joy. Whether it's something ridiculous like my insistence on coordinating my outfits to my Zoom background or my giddiness making a video with changing green screen backgrounds, I want this to be as fun as possible for my class. So as we get comfortable idea with this distance learning being permanent for the rest of the year, I am creating activities to keep our beautiful classroom community as strong and connected as it was. I'll be updating throughout the day but here is one small simple and silly thing we are doing, daily themes! (Not new, I didn't invent it, but if you need a free, editable calendar, here you go!) Passion ProjectsI am building this resource for my class and putting it out there for all of you to use, free of charge, because these times are crazy. Fair warning, I plan to put video instructions on it as well featuring yours truly. All of the directions reference Google Classroom and any materials needed are linked on the site. http://project-genius.weebly.com/ Hope it helps! What to do when stuck inside?
This is my current passion. I am a firm believer in putting all things social emotional well being in the classroom first. Academic success can't come without it. In my classroom, part of this means incorporating Mindfulness into our day.
What do I do?
Why Mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the here and now. It integrates breathing techniques to help calm the body and mind while increasing self awareness, self regulation and self calming skills. Mindfullness practices have been proven to increase a student's ability to thrive both academically and socially. I have always incorporated some piece of mindfulness into my day. Early in my career that meant adding stretching and breathing techniques into my P.E. block. However, it wasn't until I experienced my own personal life trauma that I really began to look into mindfulness activities and then saw the immeasurable value of using mindfulness to strengthen my classroom community. To be honest, part of the consistent implementation of mindfulness was giving myself the few minutes a day to stop, breathe and live in the present moment. But the impact it has had on my class is beyond words. As we continued with the practice as a class, I noticed some significant changes. I saw that this small practice was truly fostering student confidence and independence while also helping my class build empathy and the ability to work together as a team. Going into 2020, I am excited to deepen this practice. Understanding that kids cannot attend to learning when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I wanted to put more into this social emotional wellness journey. In addition to my current mindfullness activities, I wrote a DonorsChoose grant. The grant was fully funded in December (Hurray!) And I cannot wait to get back and get started with the materials. The materials in this grant include mindfulness games as well as other social emotional support tools. I hope to create a peace corner in my room where students can go when they need a quiet place to destress and calm down. Many of the sensory items included in this project will give students the tools and the space to take short breaks when needed to refocus their attention and energy. **If you are looking to incorporate more mindfullness in your classroom, check out the recourses on GoNoodle, Breathe Think Kids and Smiling Minds. Also, feel free to check out my DonorsChoose grant for inspiration! I want to start the year off on a positive note, helping my kids reflect on the accomplishments they have made so far this year while also setting new intentions and goals for the rest of the year to come. I am so proud of everything my students have done so far, and am pumped to get back into the swing of things on Monday. This is what I will be doing with my class first thing Monday morning. Enjoy, Happy New Year, and enjoy those first crazy days back at school! Click the image below to download.
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"The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see." - Alexandra K. Trenfor |