Teachers know, however, that a few of the overachievers in our classrooms probably gobbled up all of the recommended activities for the first week on Day 1, leaving parents scrambling for ways to occupy their curious minds for 4 more days. If that is your situation, here are my favorite options to explore for 4th through 6th graders.
- Freckle: This program, which will replace Renaissance's Accelerated Math program next year, was so popular when I introduced it to my students, that I actually blocked access during study time! This adaptive program begins with a placement test and offers interactive tools, game time, and assessment. If your child has used Freckle at school, they probably signed up with a class code, but parents can set up free "teacher" accounts, too. Then you can add your children and track their progress.
- Brainpop: This favorite among students offers high-quality videos on topics ranging from nouns to magnetism. They are offering families free access during this shut down, so take advantage of some educational videos. They will learn so much more on this site than TikTok!
- Hour of Code: This website will teach students K-9+ the basics of computer coding with games they will love. Set them up to use their problem-solving skills to advance through levels and complete the projects.
- Khan Academy: Join for free and choose your learning path. These easy to understand videos and quizzes will keep your child learning and reviewing.
- DogoNews: Read news articles specifically curated for kids. This site has videos, quizzes, and great images to explore, too.
- PBS Learning Media: Find your grade level resources for Science, Social Studies, Math, and ELA. Animations, simulations, and instruction abounds!
- Scholastic Learn at Home: Free, grade-level resources to keep your children "reading, thinking, and growing." These articles will engage your children.
- Mr. Nussbaum: Choose your subject and explore. Games, articles, printables, and more.
- NoRedInk: With expanded offerings through the end of the year, parents can create an account for students to practice grammar and writing skills. This program creates sentences based on student interests and tracks student progress through grade level skills.
- ReadWorks: Sign up now for access to over 3000 reading passages and question sets to engage your children with printables and digital access. Parents can create accounts for their children now.
Stay home and stay healthy!
Fantastic blog post. As always you go above and beyond Mrs. Dunham. Thank you for the information. I truly hope that parents who don't understand what teachers do everyday will now get it. Teachers make the impossible job seem easy with a classroom full of students while handling discipline issues.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame the experts aren't allowed to teach while us parents are floundering around trying to do the equivalent of busywork with our kids. With 1:1 technology available and teachers ready and willing to teach I believe that our kids deserve better. I understand this is unchartered territory for all but to know that our students can't advance learning for what may be an entire 4th quarter is truly sad. This should be a wake up call for our school district to recognize the need for an e-learning curriculum and the value of our outstanding teachers. Let's get the feedback, ideas, and knowledge from the teachers that know best! Parents and teachers share the same goal to help our kids continue to learn whether they are at school or home.
Thank you for your comments. I so appreciate the support you have given all year, from helping with parties to being our Rube Goldberg Rockstar! I agree that this is a difficult time for all, so we need for teachers to be using our individual strengths more than ever. I hope that the decisions that are made in these next weeks prioritize concern for the needs of our students and families above finances and ease of implementation. In this case, when teachers have diverse skills, we need to allow them to have diverse approaches. We didn't teach identically before and we shouldn't be expected to do that now. One size fits all education is a myth for both students and teachers. Stay safe and healthy.
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