Learning at Home
Secondary Assignments for the Week
Teachers,
I hope you and your families are well and safe. It is my desire to help make learning from home for you and your students easy. This Smore Newsletter template is aimed at helping you create low-tech lessons for student at-home learning in an organized fashion. I love Smore because it is extremely user friendly and provides a professional means for communication. Use my newsletter as a model to communicate with parents and/or students. See the tools at the bottom for all the ways you can distribute your lessons using these engaging methods. Although you may have families who do not have access to the Internet or to computers, it will be important to create physical packets for pick up or delivery. This newsletter is printable so still could be used for a part of that mode of communication. Let's get started!
We may not be in school, but we can still provide opportunities to learn!
How Communication Will Be Conducted
Each week you can send your newsletter with activities for the week. Consider whether the activities will require a computer and what the alternative will be for those participating in a packet pick up delivery system. Also, determine means of student/teacher communication when they need assistance...via text, email, Google Classroom etc. Be sure to set parameters as to times you will communicate with them. You need your personal time without distractions to keep yourself healthy and sane.
How to structure the day/week.
I would recommend you encourage your students to set aside blocks of time each day for learning, and, to the best of their ability, stay consistent with these times for as long as face-to-face school is suspended.
RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE:
- 15 minutes writing
- 15 minutes reading
- 5 minutes of face to face communication with classmates for discussion if possible or they can discuss with family members at home.
Providing Instruction with Zoom
Zoom is free and available to everyone. Along with Smore, Zoom is another user friendly technology I recommend to provide instruction for your students. Using these two platforms will provide you the tools that you need to be successful!
How To Teach an Online Lesson with Zoom
Literacy!
Regardless of the content you are teaching, you can plan your lessons with a literacy mindset by making sure your students are using reading, writing, listening and speaking skills to engage in the lesson.
Writing Activities
Have students create a Writing Journal with whatever they have available, whether on paper or digital. Each day, your students should choose activities from a list or Choice Board (it's fine to repeat activities). How long should the piece of writing be? Whatever the student is able to comfortably write in a 15 minute session. It will be different from student to student.
Reading
Have students keep a Reading Log of books, articles, or excerpts. Your child should either read independently for two 15 minute sessions per day, or listen to an audio book or be read to. Allow some choice in the reading material as long as you feel it's age and reading level appropriate.
Be sure to pre-teach vocabulary for each text to encourage fluency.
Keeping Students Engaged Through Conversation
As with writing and reading, provide choice in communication activities to do each day for improving listening and speaking skills. Under the circumstances, you will have to get creative. This could be a quick 2-5 minute activity.
Victoria Gonzales, RLA Secondary Education Specialist
As your most trusted provider, Region 3 is here to help support and navigate you and your students through this at-home instruction transition. Please contact me if you need further instruction on Smore or Zoom. Be sure to visit our website and follow our social media pages.
Email: vgonzales@esc3.net
Website: esc3.net
Location: 1905 Leary Lane, Victoria, TX, USA
Phone: 361-576-0731
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/r3esc/
Twitter: @R3ESC